101 Tales of the Clans
by FallingSnow14
Summary: Stories of love, hate, life and death. Heartbreaking and happy. Original and creative stories, plus some old ones with a twist! Please read and review!
1. Allegiances

**Any questions may be PM'd or asked in a review. Because you **_**will **_**review (I hope).**

**I have absolutely killed myself making the Clans in such a short time. It requires much more work than you think. I have memorized the pelt and eye color of every cat, their personality, family relations, and their purpose in the stories. I know everything one can possibly know. And I did that for **_**every single cat. **_**So you better like them. **

**Quick note: A she cat's kits are located directly below her on the list, and apprentices are listed in order of age.**

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**RiverClan**

**Leader: **Smokestar- Long furred dark gray she cat with blue eyes

**Deputy: **Rowanstrike- Large orange tabby tom with amber eyes

Apprentice: Stormypaw

**Medicine cat: **Wind that Whispers Secrets (Wind) - White she cat with gray Siamese markings and gray eyes

**Warriors:**

Darkleaf- Slim black she cat with green eyes

Minnowleap- Muscular older tom with unusual cream and gray patches and blue eyes

Apprentice: Flamingpaw

Tigernose- Long furred brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Speckleface- Mottled cream she cat with moss green eyes and a crippled leg

Mapleheart- Beautiful gold tabby she cat with brown eyes

Apprentice: Tinypaw

Thistleclaw- Grizzled gray tabby tom with a pale muzzle and green eyes

Reedwhisker- Dark brown and black tabby tom with amber eyes

Apprentice: Rosepaw

Ashflower- Pale gray she cat with darker tabby stripes and blue eyes

Apprentice: Swiftpaw

Hawktail- Tabby tom with green eyes

Mudslide- Small white tom with brown patches and brown eyes

Ripplefur- Long legged light brown tabby she cat with white paws, muzzle and chest and amber eyes

**Apprentices:**

Flamingpaw- Bright red tabby tom with amber eyes

Stormypaw- Slender black she cat with bright purple eyes

Swiftpaw- Mottled brown tabby tom with green eyes

Rosepaw- Fluffy tortoiseshell and white she cat with amber eyes

Tinypaw- Light brown tabby she cat with white paws and chest and blue gray eyes

**Queens and kits:**

Watermint- Gray tabby she cat with green eyes (mother of Mudslide's kits)

Ghostkit- Gray tabby tom with black stripes and big gray eyes

Beechkit- Mottled sandy tom with electric blue eyes

**Elders:**

Quailfoot- Light cream she cat with pale brown tabby stripes with brown eyes

Scratchnose- Dusky brown tom with a thick scar across his face and green eyes

Silverflame- Silver she cat with black stripes on her legs and tail with electric blue eyes

**ShadowClan**

**Leader: **Stonestar- Dark brown tom with lighter brown tabby stripes and amber eyes

**Deputy: **Sharpthorn- Black tom with amber eyes

**Medicine cat: **Moonstep- Small red tabby she cat with amber eyes

**Warriors:**

Longtooth- Gray tom with green eyes

Mossheart- Small orange and black tortoiseshell she cat with amber eyes

Ravenfang- Yellow tabby she cat with a long tail, green eyes and one ear

Apprentice: Darkpaw

Sheerstrike- Long furred pale gray tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentice: Marshpaw

Battlestorm- Large brown and black tabby with amber eyes

Apprentice: Wildpaw

Cricketnose- Gray tom with black tabby stripes and brown eyes

Nettleclaw- Dark gray she cat with a white spot on her forehead and white legs and smoky purple eyes

Cedarfur- Sandy tom with red flecks and brown eyes

Briarpelt- Black and white tuxedo she cat with amber eyes

Bramblewhisker- Slim she cat with light cream fur and thin brown tabby stripes with blue eyes

Juniperbreath- White she cat, with tortoiseshell coloring from her nose along her back and sides and partially down her tail with green eyes

**Apprentices:**

Marshpaw- Stocky gray brown tabby tom with green brown eyes

Wildpaw- Brown tabby she cat with amber eyes

Darkpaw- White tom with dark gray patches and blue eyes

**Queens and kits:**

Lotustail- Orange tabby she cat with green eyes (mother of Battlestorm's kits)

Heatkit- Black tom with green eyes

Lizardkit- Tan tabby she cat with brown eyes

Shiverkit- Light brownish-reddish tabby she cat with a white chest, muzzle and paws and green eyes

**Elders:**

Spiderclaw- Long legged dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Redheart- Pale cream she cat with a darker cream tail and ears and brown eyes

Oatfoot- Long furred blue gray tom with blue eyes who has gone completely deaf

**ThunderClan**

**Leader:** Brightstar- Light brown tabby she cat with gold flecks and hazel eyes

**Deputy: **Coyoteblaze- Huge white she cat with black tabby stripes and green-blue eyes

**Medicine cat: **Squirrelwhisker- Yellow tabby tom with white paws and chest with amber eyes

**Warriors:**

Mintleaf- Dark gray she cat with a white stripe from her nose, down her back, to her tail tip and has mint green eyes

Apprentice: Dawnpaw

Butterflyheart- Long furred light brown tabby she cat with a small white spot on her chest and green eyes

Splashface- Silver tabby tom with blue eyes

Jaywing- Black tom with a white spot on his chest and one white paw with hazel eyes

Apprentice: Brackenpaw

Fireflower- Beautiful she cat with flame-colored fur and amber eyes

Oaktalon- Large red-brown tom with blue eyes with long claws

Aprrentice: Leopardpaw

Spottedthroat- Brindled red-black tom with gray eyes

Apprentice: Snowpaw

Sunblaze- Long furred golden tabby tom with amber eyes

**Apprentices:**

Leopardpaw- Golden brown tom with marbled brown markings and amber eyes

Dawnpaw- Silver tabby she cat with hazel eyes

Snowpaw- Long furred white she cat with green eyes

Brackenpaw- Dusky brown tom with dark brown socks and dusky brown paws with green eyes

**Queens and kits:**

Creamberry- Creamy furred with a fluffy tail and brown eyes (mother of Spottedthroat's kits)

Goldenkit- Golden tabby she cat with amber eyes

Adderkit- Brown tabby tom with black stripes and a black patch right over his nose and amber eyes

Softbreath- Slender pale gray tabby with a white belly and pale blue eyes (mother of Oaktalon's kits)

Petalkit- Small she cat with brown tabby fur and smeared black stripes with green eyes

Foxkit- White tom with ginger patches, oversized ears, and amber eyes

Tallkit- Light gray tom with amber eyes

**Elders:**

Crookedpath- Thickly scarred tom with light brown tabby fur and green eyes

Frostpool- Frosty silver white she cat with hazel eyes

**WindClan**

**Leader: **Thornstar- Dark gray tabby tom with a black paw and green eyes

**Deputy: **Wolfsong- Light gray she cat with a dark gray 'T' marking across her face and dark gray streak down her side, and has blue eyes

**Medicine cat: **Vineleg- Elderly brown tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentice: Hollowpaw

**Warriors:**

Lightshine- Red she cat with a white belly, paws, chest and tail tip and has green eyes

Willowclaw- Long furred pale gray tabby tom with light green eyes

Halfstripe- Long furred dark brown tom with black tabby stripes on his head and front legs and has amber eyes

Duststorm- Light brown tom with streaky darker brown hairs and blue eyes

Apprentice: Cloverpaw

Quickstream- Wiry silver she cat with white paws and tail tip and blue eyes

Rabbitclaw- Dark gray black tom with yellow eyes

Ambergaze- Black she cat with orange eyes

Apprentice: Pebblepaw

Blackspots- Gray tom with unusual black spots and green eyes

Swishtail- Orange-ginger tom with a white patch on his ear with amber eyes

**Apprentices:**

Meadowpaw- Sandy she cat with green eyes

Cloverpaw- Red tabby she cat with a white muzzle, chest and paws and amber eyes

Hollowpaw- Pale brown tom with white paws and a white tail with green eyes

**Queens and kits:**

Bluesky- White she cat with dazzling blue eyes (mother of Thornstar's kit)

Gorsekit- Dark gray tabby tom with a white muzzle, paws, chest and belly and blue eyes

Echoflight- Dark brown tabby queen-to-be with a white chest and paws and blue eyes (mother of Rabbitclaw's kits)

**Elders:**

Finchfeather- Small light brown tabby she cat with chocolate brown eyes

Lightningleg- Brown gray tom with amber eyes

Wetfur- Black tom with pale blue eyes

Brownmoth- Speckled brown she cat with green eyes and a bushy tail

**Cats without Clans**

Thief- A rouge tom that lives off the far ShadowClan border; has long sandy yellow fur, white paws, amber eyes and lives with Flicker

Flicker- A rogue she cat who lives with Thief off the far ShadowClan border; she has striking pointed features and beautiful yet unusual dappled and white pelt; very young, barely more than apprentice age

Maia- A loner who lives in the barn where Ravenpaw and Barley once lived; she has white fur with very bright orange patches and green eyes; she is Flicker's age and speaks fluent dog

Maggie- Elderly tabby kittypet who lives across the Thunderpath by RiverClan

Jake- Black and white tuxedo kittypet who lives near Maggie

**Other Animals**

Buck- A large black and white dog that lives in the old barn with Maia; like most dogs, rather unintelligent but very friendly and extremely loyal to Maia

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**I apologize if the descriptions aren't exact, I had to delete my 'Make A Warrior' story.**

**A/N- At the end of every chapter, I will include a few fun facts about the cats in story (ex. Mapleheart of RiverClan is the twin of Thistleclaw). Also, I will post four links to the pictures of various cats on my profile, so you can see what they look like. Every four chapters, I will change the links to other cats, and announce at the bottom of that chapter that the links have been updated. Let it be noted that all cats there are pictures of are my cats (so mostly RiverClan and ShadowClan cats).**

**Now tell me what you think!!!**


	2. A New Friend

**The first of many tales! Hope you like it!**

**Also, I should mention that the territory is a bit different than the forest or the lake. I made it up, and it's kind of a combination of the two. **_**Remember to review!**_

**And a big thanks to everyone who let me use their cats, and a big 'I'm sorry' to everyone who's cat didn't appear. **

**I don't own warriors, but I do own most of the characters in this story.**

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Ashflower, Mapleheart and Tinypaw patrolled the far border, the one that ran along the Thunderpath. Mapleheart was telling little Tinypaw all Thunderpaths and Twolegplace. Ashflower smiled at the very young apprentice, who happened to be her niece, but didn't participate in their conversation. She moved ahead. Snuffling in the grass, she hoped to maybe catch a snack before returning to camp and napping. Greenleaf was so warm, and RiverClan territory was so humid, she just wanted to relax. Even better than napping, maybe Ripplefur and Speckleface would go swimming in the river with her.

Yawning, Ashflower turned away and started back towards the others. A small, warm breeze blew past her then, carrying the faintest scent of something… She stopped and padded back, scenting. When she reached a young sapling, she could clearly smell cat. Whoever was here had rubbed against the tree and left a few black hairs behind. Smelling the hairs, Ashflower determined that they _were _cat, they _weren't _Clan, and whoever's they were had walked in the direction of the Thunderpath.

Her tail tip twitched as she considered this dilemma. On one paw, she could alert Mapleheart, who was leading the patrol, and she would decide what to do. On the other, she could follow the scent herself across the Thunderpath towards Twolegplace and find the mystery cat herself. _Mapleheart might decide not to track down the cat, _she thought, _and then I'll never know. _Her mind made up, Ashflower turned away and walked casually back.

"Anything over there?" Mapleheart asked, looking up from the shrub she was marking.

"No, nothing," Ashflower said calmly. "But if you don't mind, I'm going to stay here a while."

"Stay here? Why?" Mapleheart mewed, surprised.

"It's just a nice place to be alone," Ashflower answered.

"By the Thunderpath?" Mapleheart asked skeptically. "I think it'll be awfully loud when those monsters come by."

_Of course! _Ashflower hissed at herself. _How could I forget?! _She never was a good actress.

"Hmm, you're right. Well, I come back soon. See you in a bit," Ashflower mumbled.

Mapleheart stared at the older she cat, then shrugged. "Okay, bye Ashflower."

"Bye." Tinypaw mewed, then padded after Mapleheart.

As soon as Ashflower could no longer hear them, she bounded back to the sapling. Sniffing to catch a hold of the scent, she threw herself into the tracking. The trail wandered out of the territory, across the Thunderpath, and into the strip of forest between the Thunderpath and Twolegplace. It was difficult work, but Ashflower made it all the way to the Twoleg nests.

She stopped when she came to a great wall. It was like the wall she had once seen around the ThunderClan camp,but it was made of smooth, square red stones and much higher. It stretched into the distance in both directions, disappearing into the trees. Ashflower felt like an ant before it.

Gathering her legs beneath her, she sprang up as high as she could. She just was able to land on the top, where it was a cat-length wide. The intruder's scent continued on, into the grass behind a Twoleg nest, and then into the nest itself. _So he or she is a kittypet, _Ashflower thought.

There was no point in waiting around, and Ashflower knew she had to get back. Regretfully, she let her eyes sweep the grass-area-behind-nest one last time. Her eyes wandered over to a bush adorned with very large and pretty flowers. They were white, with a dull gold inside. _I bet they smell amazing. _

Leaping down, she darted up to them. _Oh, they do. And they're beautiful. _Forgetting where she was and what she was doing, she dropped to the ground and rolled in the sweet smelling petals. Now she would smell just as nice as they did.

"Hello," Mewed an amused voice. Ashflower spun to her feet, petals falling from her fur. In front of her stood a black furred tom with a white throat and paws. He blinked his yellow eyes and said "I don't think I've met you before."

"I'm Ashflower. Are you the kittypet that came on our territory?" she asked.

"That depends. Who's 'we'?" he meowed.

"RiverClan. We live across the Thunderpath, in the forest by the river."

"Then yes, I suppose I did." He smirked. "My name's Jake, by the way."

"Well, Jake, RiverClan guards its borders, and if you're caught on our territory again, you'll be driven out." Ashflower narrowed her eyes, knowing she would never look menacing.

"Thanks for the warning." He yawned widely, then sniffed at one of the big white flowers. "They _do _smell nice."

Ashflower didn't know what to say. This kittypet obviously wasn't afraid of her, but he didn't need to be. She was just warning him, after all. But now what did she do? Go back? She probably should. But to just leave now that she finally found the trespasser…

Jake broke the silence, glancing at her. "So, RiverClan?"

"What about it?" Ashflower mewed, confused.

"What is it?" Jake asked as he walked towards the red stone wall but veered right, darting gracefully up a small tree. He leapt lightly from a branch to the top of the wall, looking expectantly down at her.

"RiverClan is one of the Clans that live throughout the forest. We fish for our food, and our dens are on an island." She scrabbled up the tree to sit next to him, in the shade of an overhanging branch.

"How many Clans are there? And how many cats are in your Clan?" he stretched out, though the stone couldn't be very comfortable.

Ashflower answered all his questions, but he always had more. They spoke for a long time, but she didn't realize it. When she looked up, the sun had shifted in the sky and was casting longer shadows. She leaped to her paws, shocked.

"I have to get back! They've probably sent a patrol out looking for me, or- I don't even want to think about it! I've been to far too long. I shouldn't have even come!" Her mew was close to a hysterical wail by that point.

"Of course you should have! I didn't even know what Clans were. And now I know all about them. At any rate, it's no use worrying about the past," Jake said matter-of-factly.

"Thank you, Jake, but I _need _to go," Ashflower said firmly. "Goodbye!" She flew off the wall and sprinted into the forest.

"Goodbye, friend! Come back soon!" Jake yowled behind her.

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**I might not have explained before, but the 101 tales are actually 101 chapters. Each actual story will be a few chapters long. **

**Please do not use my cats without my permission. If I used someone else's cat, they can use theirs, obviously. **

**And review even if you didn't like it, thanks!**

**First four links up, at the bottom of my profile! **

**Fun facts:**

**Ashflower's twin is Ripplefur, who is Tinypaw's mother**

**Ripplefur's mate is Reedwhisker**

**Silverflame is the mother of Watermint, and the grandma of Watermint's kits (obviously)**

**Rowanstrike is Darkleaf's mate**

**Tigernose is Speckleface's mate**


	3. The Bully

**The beginning of a new tale! Don't worry, Ashflower's tale isn't over yet. But for now, another story. Review!!!!**

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Darkpaw padded to the fresh-kill pile and dropped the toad and blackbird he'd caught on it. It was a fair day's catch, but he could've done better. Ravenfang, his mentor, was unimpressed. Ravenfang had always wanted to have a great apprentice, one who was tough and fierce and brave. Getting Darkpaw had disappointed her.

It's not that Darkpaw was a _bad _apprentice. He was mostly average in terms of hunting and fighting, and though he was brave, he lacked the toughness and rough attitudes of the other ShadowClan cats. He didn't have a temper, and was nice to the other cats. He might never be anything special, but that didn't bother him.

If you were looking for a fierce apprentice, there was no one better suited to that than Darkpaw's twin, Wildpaw. She was brave and skilled, and never gave up. Darkpaw loved her greatly, and she loved him. But unlike Darkpaw, she would be someone, someday. She might be the deputy, even the leader.

Darkpaw walked across the camp towards Wildpaw. She'd already returned from her patrol and was stretched out on the smooth, flat rock where the two liked to rest. Lotustail's three kits copied her, lying on their bellies around the stone. The sight was so silly, Wildpaw surrounded by her worshipers, Darkpaw laughed.

"What's so funny?" Wildpaw opened one eye and stared at him.

"Nothing," he said, curling up beside Heatkit. The three kittens didn't exactly _worship _Wildpaw, but since they were the only kits in the nursery, they all looked up to Wildpaw and Darkpaw. Darkpaw especially, because he always took the time to play with them.

For a long while they rested in the sun. After half an hour, Heatkit, Shiverkit and Lizardkit grew bored and ran off to go play kit games.

"Darkpaw, come play with us!" Heatkit meowed loudly. "I'm Heatstar, leader of ShadowClan, and they're my warriors, and you can be the badger!"

Darkpaw winced. He was always the badger. "Okay, I'm coming," he yawned. Rising to his paws, he stretched and padded over.

Suddenly, a heavy weight crashed down on Darkpaw, smashing him into the dirt. He twisted around to see Marshpaw, the oldest apprentice, leaning over him. Marshpaw was nearly a warrior, and he was a bully. And for some reason, he hated Darkpaw. Marshpaw glared at him, his thick muscles flexing under his brown-gray fur.

"Got you again, Dark_kit._" He sneered. _Why does he always pick on me? _Darkpaw thought. But he knew the answer to that. Marshpaw would pick on anyone younger or smaller than himself. He tried doing the same thing to Wildpaw, but the first time he pounced on her, she kicked him hard in the face. He attempted to bully her a few more times, but after a hiss or glare from Wildpaw, he'd slink off. As for the kits, they had enough sense to run to Lotustail when he was around. If he tried to hurt one of them and Lotustail found out about it, she'd claw his ears off. So that left Darkpaw, who never fought back. Luckily, Marshpaw was pretty stupid, and Darkpaw could outsmart him most of the time.

"Yeah, whatever," he muttered, walking away. Marshpaw shoved him as he padded away, making Darkpaw stumble. Looking up, he saw Wildpaw glaring at Marshpaw's retreating form. As he padded up to her, she turned her amber eyes on him.  
"Why don't you ever defend yourself? Attack him!" she demanded angrily.  
"I'm not going to fight him," Darkpaw sighed. Wildpaw always felt like she needed to protect her brother.  
"You can't just let him walk all over you like that," Wildpaw lashed her tail in anger, but she let it go.  
The three kits were huddled together with wide eyes. "Marshpaw is a meanie." Lizardkit said.  
"He is." Darkpaw nodded. Sitting down, he licked his fur back into place.

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**This chapter is rather short, I apologize. I couldn't think of anything else that needed to be said here. Any questions may be PM'd to me. Thanks for reading, now review!**

**Fun facts: **

**Mossheart is Moonstep's twin**

**Ravenfang has only one ear, the other was torn off by a fox, and though she doesn't admit it, she now has difficulty hearing with what's left of her ear**

**Lotustail is Battlestorm's mate ( I think I already mentioned that) **

**Moonstep is very young for a medicine cat, barely more than a year old; her mentor died a moon ago**

**As you can see, all the fun facts in a chapter refer to the cats in the Clan the chapter is based on, and it's just so you know more than basic physical descriptions **


	4. The Seer

**This is a nice, healthy chapter. I have deemed it acceptable to be published. So read and enjoy! And, of course, review. I know if you don't…**

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Watermint woke from her sleep. Something was pushing against her side. Looking down, she saw it was only Beechkit. His mottled sandy fur blended with the dry, white sand RiverClan used to make their nests with. She stretched, flexing her claws. "What is it, little one?" she murmured.

"I can't find Ghostkit. Where is he?" Beechkit blinked his electric blue eyes. Watermint frowned, looking around the nursery. It was empty except for her and Beechkit.

"Ghostkit?" she whispered. "Ghostkit?"

Worry rose in her chest. Rising to her paws, she shook the sand from her fur and padded out into the moonlight. The moonlight-filled clearing was silent except for the light breathing of many sleeping cats. Ghostkit was nowhere in sight.

_Where is he? _Watermint was very nervous now. _He wouldn't leave the camp in the middle of the night, would he? What if something got him? WHERE IS HE???_

Beechkit pawed at her legs. "Wherever he is, I wanna go too."

"Stay in the nursery, Beechkit. I'm going to find your brother." Watermint nudged him into the den as he protested. She made one quick circle around the camp, whispering "Ghostkit?" the whole time. She had just returned to the middle of the camp, debating who to wake, when Rowanstrike stuck his head out of the warrior's den.

"Watermint, what is it? You've been out there for quite a while," Rowanstrike asked sternly. He didn't like to be woken by anything trivial.

"It's Ghostkit!" she mewed, panicky. "He's gone!"

Rowanstrike immediately and calmly took control of the situation, exactly like a deputy should. Stepping out into the moonlight, he raised his nose and sniffed. "Nothing," he said. "Wait here. I'll get Smokestar."

Bounding off, he crept into the gray she cat's den, whispering urgently. Smokestar and her sort-of mate, Minnowleap, emerged moments later. She walked straight up to Watermint, who stood alone in the clearing.

"When did you notice he was missing?" she asked.

"About ten minutes ago," Watermint answered.

"There's no trace of fox, badger, hawk, dog, Twoleg or cat, or anything else that might want to take a kit. It's possible he just snuck when there wasn't anyone awake to stop him." Rowanstrike suggested. Watermint glared at him. There was no way Ghostkit would do that. Beechkit, maybe, but not Ghostkit.

"Rowanstrike, wake up… Darkleaf, she's fast. And Reedwhisker and Hawktail, they're both excellent trackers. And Mudslide, Ripplefur, Thistleclaw , and Tigernose. Everyone else will probably wake up with all the commotion, but that doesn't matter. Oh! And get Rosepaw, she does best in the dark." Smokestar paced back and forth, calling out her orders as she did.

"Watermint, you can go too. You, Hawktail, and Ripplefur will try and find his scent and track him down." Smokestar flicked her fluffy tail in the general direction of the river. "Oh, and make sure to take Beechkit out of the nursery. He can go stay with Wind, just in case."

_Just in case whatever got Ghostkit doesn't come for him too, _Watermint thought. _No! Ghostkit was not taken by anything. _

When the warriors and apprentices were assembled, Smokestar gave the order and the several patrols took off into the night. Watermint felt like she was about to snap.

Hawktail mewed in surprise. "Watermint! Watermint! I found a trail!" he shouted.

Her heart leaped. They were going to find him!

The kit's scent wound through the woods, towards the river. Hawktail led the way, his nose close to the ground. It wasn't long before they heard the splashing and rumbling of the water.

Ghostkit was sitting quietly on the shore, staring out into the river with his tail wrapped around his paws. Small pawprints led to where he sat. He looked up at the sound of their approach, stars reflecting in his big, gray eyes.

"Ghostkit!" Watermint cried, racing towards him. She skidded to a stop, her paws pushing up sand. "What in StarClan's name are you doing out here? Are you hurt at all? How'd you even find the river?" She scooped him up, clamping her mouth around the scruff of his neck.

He dangled limply. "I'm fine," he mewed.

Ripplefur stared at him angrily. "What did you think you were doing, mouse-brained kit? Half the Clan is running around in the dark looking for you!" Hawktail glanced at her in surprise. It took a lot to make laid-back Ripplefur mad.

Watermint glared at her, but said nothing because her mouth was full of Ghostkit.

"I just wanted to see where the silver cat was going," he replied.

Ripplefur stared at him hard. "What silver cat?"

"The one that was in camp. He led me to the river. That's how I found it."

All three cats froze, looking at the gray kit. "There was a cat in our camp?" Hawktail was dumbstruck.

"Yeah." Ghostkit was unconcerned by this fact.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? You mean you just decided to follow some strange cat you don't know? What he a Clan cat" Ripplefur's train of thought raced ahead too fast for Ghostkit to answer.

"I think he wanted me to follow him." Ghostkit said, undeterred. "He looked right at me and walked away, and waved his tail. I followed him to the river, but then I couldn't find him. That's when I saw the other kitten. She was silver and pale in the same way the other cat was. She didn't say anything, but she wanted to play, so I did. We were playing over there." He gestured with his tail to a spot upriver. The sand was churned up by little paws, but there was only one set of prints.

"I think you were dreaming, Ghostkit." Watermint said gently, doing her best to speak around his fur.

"I wasn't," Ghostkit said firmly. He honestly believed he was right.

"Maybe," Ripplefur said, but she looked relieved. Just a kit's imagination.

They started walking again. Hawktail bounded ahead to tell Smokestar to call off the search. When the two she cats reached camp, Wind came to meet them. Examining Ghostkit for injuries in her den, she looked up at Watermint, who sat beside her.

"He's fine, not a scratch on him," she declared.

"Thank StarClan," said Watermint.

Ghostkit proceeded to tell Wind his dream about the two strange cats. Wind treated it very seriously, questioning him about it. Watermint could practically read her half-sister's mind, and knew Wind was wondering if she should offer to take him as her apprentice.

"Did these cats have stars in their fur?" Wind asked. _Of course, _Watermint thought. _If he dreams of StarClan he's bound to be a medicine cat. _

Ghostkit's gray eyes stared into Wind's gray eyes, just as serious as she was. "No," he mewed. "They were silvery-gray. They didn't shine, but they sort of glowed. And they were…" he struggled to find the right word. "See-through. Pale. A bit like fog, but they were clearer."

Wind was confused. "Fog? No, StarClan cats shine like stars."

Ghostkit licked his chest fur a few times and shrugged. "Then I guess they weren't StarClan cats."

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**Not StarClan cats? What could this mean? Ghostkit is a strange one…**

**To get in the mood to write this, I was listening to Evanescence's 'Haunted', wich by the way is a great song. It fits this chapter very well.**

**Don't worry, I'll get to ThunderClan and WindClan soon. I felt this chapter would fit in nicely here, though, so I put it here.**

**Fun Facts:**

**Wind is not a Tribe cat, but she has a tribe sounding name because her mentor died before she had finished training; her mentor had to help Wind finish her training from the ranks of StarClan, and Wind named herself because 'the wind whispered secrets' to her**

**Wind is the younger sister of Minnowleap, and the two of them are Watermint's half-siblings, because they all had the same father**

**Minnowleap is called the sometimes-mate of Smokestar, for while they aren't strictly together, they occasionally sleep in the leader's den and are good friends; it's like an on/off thing **

**Watermint has her two sons, Beechkit and Ghostkit, but she and her mate Mudslide are also the parents of Swiftpaw (Watermint's the kind of cat who spends a lot of time as a queen)**

**Darkleaf and Rowanstrike are the parents of Stormypaw and Flamingpaw, who are twins**


	5. A Love Story

**I have just realized I made a mistake in the allegiances chapter! :O I said that Duststorm's apprentice is Pebblepaw, but I changed Pebblepaw's name to Meadowpaw. I must've forgotten to change that. Sorry for the mix-up. **

**Thank you Coby, Wolfstar, and Serpent's Ballet for reviewing! **

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Meadowpaw looked up into wide, green eyes. Blackspots looked down at her, his face extremely close. She blinked in surprise, starting slightly. Then she purred and flicked his side with her tail. "Don't scare me."

"I wasn't." He grinned down at her. "Okay, maybe a little."

She rolled her eyes and picked up the rabbit she had caught. Meadowpaw might pretend that Blackspots annoyed her, but inside she was so happy that Ambergaze had let her go evening-hunting with him. The sky was painted with the reds and purples of dusk, unbroken by the trees that all the other Clans lived in. The land stretched on endlessly, and Meadowpaw felt like a bird that could fly away into the distance. So free and happy.

Blackspots was older than her, but not by much. They'd trained as apprentices together for a long time, but in a moon or two Meadowpaw would become a warrior like him.

They had been friends for as long as Meadowpaw could remember. Not just friends, best friends. As close as Meadowpaw was to her sister Cloverpaw, she was even closer to Blackspots. As they grew older, that friendship had bloomed into something more. Blackspots was everything. He was more than Cloudfur, Meadowpaw's deceased mother, more than Willowclaw, her father. Even more than Cloverpaw.

They came to a stop at the top of a tall hill. _It's like sitting on top of the world, like flying, _she thought. _King Blackspots and Queen Meadowpaw. _

They sat there and watched the sun set. Streaks of red light painted the sky. Meadowpaw leaned against Blackspot's shoulder, and he twined their tails together.

When only of strip of orange sun reached over the horizon, Blackspots murmured, "So this is what it feels like to be in love."

Meadowpaw's heart stuttered and she looked up at him. After a moment she agreed, "It does."

Soon stars sparkled above and darkness swept the moor. Blackspots sighed. "We probably should get back to camp."

Meadowpaw nodded sadly. She didn't want this night to end. She reached down to scoop up the rabbit.

Blackspots dove onto her, sending her flying backwards. Meadowpaw shrieked. Tangled together, they tumbled off the side of the hill. They rolled around and around, head over paws, all the way down. They finally came to at the bottom, falling onto the springy grass in a heap of fur and paws. Gasping for breath, Meadowpaw glared at Blackspots. He was gasping too, but he was laughing so hard he was practically crying.

"That was not funny!" Meadowpaw panted angrily.

"You should've seen your face!" Blackspots laughed, rolling onto his back.

Ignoring him, Meadowpaw climbed to her feet, only to realize she was extremely dizzy and she promptly fell over. That only made Blackspot's laugh harder.

Covering her eyes with her paws, she waited till the stars had stopped spinning before she tried standing. This time she was able to keep herself on her feet.

Blackspots was still stretched out on the cool grass. "Still mad?" he asked.

"No," Meadowpaw said. Then an idea came to her. She turned and started walking away, just like Blackspots had done.

He sat up. "I'm sorry, okay? I just-" He was cut off as Meadowpaw whirled and tackled him, knocking him flat on his back. She looked him straight in the eyes.

"_That _was fun," she purred. He grimaced dramatically and pushed her off.

Looking back to where the rabbit laid on the top of the hill, Meadowpaw frowned, her good humor vanishing. "I guess that we _do _have to go back."

Blackspots mirrored her frown. Then his face switched into a fiercer expression. "Why? Why do we have to?"

"Because Thornstar will be mad at us, and Ambergaze will be mad at me." Meadowpaw didn't even want to think about what Ambergaze would do if Meadowpaw didn't go back.

"I say," Blackspots said fiercely, "Who cares what they do? They can only punish us so much. They can be as mad as they want, but we have the whole night to do whatever _we _want."

"B-but," Meadowpaw stuttered. Didn't he care about getting in trouble at all? The Clan would be furious, a young warrior and apprentice sneaking away and avoiding their duties…

"But what?" he said quietly. "I love you, Meadowpaw, and I promise tonight will be the most fun you've ever had. Think about it. We could race to the border, and swim in the stream, and even roll down that hill again, though I bet you don't want to anytime soon." Blackspots allowed himself a quick grin. "Please?" he pleaded.

Meadowpaw shifted her weight from paw to paw, and then decided. "Okay, let's do it!" she agreed enthusiastically. Thornstar could do whatever he wanted, but tonight she was free, the bird that could fly away. The world was endless, and her life stretched ahead of her.

"Meadowpaw, you're the best!" Blackspots sprang to his feet and licked her cheek.

_You too, Blackspots, _Meadowpaw thought. _I'll love you forever. _

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**This little couple came out a lot cuter than I planned. They're really sweet together. I feel almost bad for what's going to happen.**

**Please, please, please review! **

**Fun Facts:**

**Blackspots twin is Quickstream**

**As mentioned, Meadowpaw's twin is Cloverpaw**

**Meadowpaw's mother Cloudfur died right after the two became apprentices; she was killed by sickness and her family still mourns her**

**Ambergaze and Rabbitclaw are twins**

**Ambergaze and Rabbitclaw are kits of the elder Wetfur**


	6. Quiet Days

**This was mostly a filler chapter, but I thought it'd give you a look into ThunderClan. I still think it came out nicely.**

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Butterflyheart laid in the ThunderClan camp with her side pressed against Creamberry's. The two she cats were best friends, but Butterflyheart had been lonely since Creamberry had moved into the nursery. Luckily for her, Creamberry's kits were only a moon away from becoming apprentices.

The two kits wrestled and played with each other, Goldenkit's gold shape tangled with her brother Adderkit's dark tabby. Softbreath's kits were too young for this kind of rough play, since they had only started walking and running. But they would grow fast.

"Creamberry, do you think?..." Butterflyheart trailed off.

"What?" Creamberry looked up from her squirrel, swiping her tongue around her mouth.

"Do you think Brightstar will let me mentor one of your kits?" Butterflyheart asked. She wanted an apprentice so badly, and one of Creamberry's kits would be perfect.

"I hope so. There's no one I'd rather trust them with." Creamberry smiled at her kits. Goldenkit waved her tail in acknowledgement and pounced on her twin.

"Thanks, Creamberry." Butterflyheart grinned, then sighed. "I just hope she does. I mean… I'm not anything special. I don't hunt any better than anyone else, I'm just an average cat! I'm not brave or strong or smart-"

"Butterflyheart, that is _not_ true! You are the most patient, sweet, and kind cat I've ever met, and you'd be an excellent mentor. Stop thinking that way." Creamberry looked mad.

"Maybe." Butterflyheart felt slightly better.

"What's up with you today? Usually you're much happier." Creamberry wrapped her fluffy tail over her friend's shoulders.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just… I don't know. I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow." She gave a weak smile.

"Well," Creamberry said with a serious face, "You could always ask Coyoteblaze to influence Brightstar's decision."

Both she cats burst out giggling. They, like many other cats, were absolutely terrified of the huge, white deputy. Most suspected that Brightstar only chose such an intimidating cat because she wanted to make up for being such an extremely young leader. Others might question her decisions, but they would be much less hostile with Coyoteblaze by her side.

"I'd rather ask StarClan themselves." Butterflyheart let out another nervous laugh.

Creamberry nodded and gestured with her tail. "Speak of the devil."

Coyoteblaze had just entered the camp, her patrol following. Mintleaf and Jaywing, to be specific, and their apprentices, Dawnpaw and Brackenpaw. They all carried prey of some sort. Out of the whole group, only Mintleaf didn't care about Coyoteblaze. The others shot her semi-frightened glances whenever she wasn't looking.

"She certainly has a reputation." Butterflyheart whispered.

"Agreed." Creamberry said.

Just then, Goldenkit and Adderkit came racing up. "Creamberry, can we go play with the apprentices?" Adderkit begged.

"Go right ahead, but try not to bother them too much. They have work to do, you know." Creamberry reminded them.

"Thank you!" Goldenkit licked her mother's cheek quickly, and the two scurried off.

"They grow up so fast." Creamberry sighed.

"And yet you can't wait for them to grow up." Softbreath padded over, her three kits in tow. "I was just taking these ones over to the elder's den for a story. The elders adore them, and they love it. It gives me some free time."

"We're gonna hear a story!" Petalkit mewed, toddling up to Butterflyheart.

"That's great!" She nudged the kit back towards her mother.

"Thank you." Softbreath said. "Come along, kits."

She led her kits to the far side of camp, while they watched everything with wide eyes.

"They're so cute," Butterflyheart meowed.

"They are. Maybe someday you'll find a tom you like and have kits of your own," Creamberry remarked.

"Maybe someday," Butterflyheart said with hope.

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**There it is. All done. Hope you liked it. Now review. **

**Four new links up!**

**Fun Facts**

**Sunblaze is Fireflower's mate**

**Crookedpath is Brightstar's father**

**Brightstar is young for a leader, only three years old**

**I actually was kinda rushed making this Clan, so there isn't really much to say about it; I don't think as much will happen in this Clan either, if you have an idea I'd love to hear it**


	7. Kittypets

**Back to Ashflower! What's happening now?**

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Ashflower trotted along happily. She was going to meet Jake, her new friend. Of course, no one but her and Jake knew that. Smokestar surely wouldn't let sneak her off the territory to meet with kittypets. That's why Ashflower had forgotten to tell her.

It was a long-ish walk to Jake's Twoleg's nest, but it mostly through the forest. When she did cross the Thunderpath, she didn't even bother to run. Monsters rarely came here.

And then she was at the wall. A black cat shape was perched on top. "Jake!" Ashflower mewed loudly.

"Hi, Ash!" Jake waved his tail for her to join him. She leapt to the top as if her paws had wings. Jake was the only cat who ever called her 'Ash'. It surprised her at first, but she liked it. 'Ash' was easier to say then 'Ashflower' anyway.

"Guess what we're doing today!" Jake meowed. He flicked his tail in excitement, green eyes sparkling.

"What?" Ashflower asked. Usually the just sat on the wall and talked, in the shade of the chestnut tree branches.

"We're going to meet all my friends!" he announced, pleased.

"Other kittypets?" Ashflower guessed.

"Yes." Jake started walking down the wall. Looking over his shoulder, he called, "Come on, it's not too far!"

Padding along the wall, Jake stopped five nests down. Sitting down, he yowled loudly. "Arabella, Kora!"

Two cats slipped out the open window. They bounded across the grass and onto the wall. Unlike Jake, they each wore collars.

"Who's this?" One of the cats mewed, a dark tabby she cat with a white muzzle, chest and paws.

"I'd like you to meet my friend, Ashflower. Ashflower, these are my friends Arabella and Kora." He nodded to each cat in turn.

Kora was the dark tabby, and Arabella was an extremely fluffy white cat. _She's beautiful, _Ashflower thought, surprised.

"Pleased to meet you, Ashflower. Any friend of Jake is a friend of ours." Arabella purred.

"Thank you," Ashflower said shyly.

"Where do you live?" Kora asked curiously. "Did your Twolegs just move in?"

_They think I'm a kittypet, _Ashflower realized. She opened her mouth to explain, but Jake jumped in.

"Ashflower lives in the woods with her family. She doesn't have Twolegs." Jake said quickly.

"You're a wild cat!" Kora exclaimed.

"That's one way to put it," Ashflower muttered.

"And there's absolutely nothing wrong with wild cats, is there, Kora?" Arabella shot her a meaningful glare.

"Of course not," Kora said. "I just think it's fascinating!"

The mood immediately lightened up. "Well, I'm sure you three will be great friends." Jake mrowed. "But Ashflower can't stay long, so we're going to see Casey."

"Okay." Kora said.

At the same time Arabella meowed "Goodbye!"

The two she cats waved their tails and leaped off the wall.

"Tell Casey I said hi!" Arabella called, before following Kora into the nest.

Ashflower and Jake continued their journey down the wall. After a few more houses, Jake stopped again. There was a gray tabby sleeping in the sun. Jake opened his mouth, then shut it. "Watch this," he whispered, smirking. He sprang off the wall and slipped over to where the cat was stretched out on the grass. Creeping up to crouch near the other tom's head, Jake put his muzzle close to Casey's ear and yelled "WAKE UP!"

Casey started with a yowl, flying straight up in the air. His head whipped around wildly, looking for the source of the noise. He spotted Jake. "JAKE, YOU MORON!" he yowled, and tackled him.

Ashflower darted down, preparing to fight if necessary. Casey was growling playfully at Jake, and cuffed him on the air before backing off. "You ruined my nap!"

"Sorry, had to." Jake batted at his friend.

"So did you come here just to annoy me or what?" Casey yawned, stretching.

Jake rolled his eyes. "No, I was showing my friend around the neighborhood. He pointed his nose towards where Ashflower stood, half-concealed behind a bush.

Casey looked over, surprised. "Hello!" he mewed.

Jake eyed her claws. "No need for those. Casey couldn't hurt me if he tried."

Ashflower quickly sheated her claws and padded over. "Hi, I'm Ashflower."

"Ash lives in the woods behind my house. She stays there with her family," Jake said.

"Well, Ashflower, I'm Casey. I'm pleased to meet you." The gray tom smiled politely. He turned to Jake. "Has she met Arabella, Kora and Maggie yet?"

"Kora and Arabella yes, Maggie, no." Jake replied. "I figured we could go meet Maggie some other time."

"Actually," Ashflower said, "I probably should get back now."

"Okay," Jake said easily. "Let's go."

"See you two later." Casey nodded and returned to his nap.

"See ya," Jake said. He jumped onto the wall, Ashflower by his side, and led the way to his nest.

While they walked, he asked, "So what do you think?"

"They all seem very nice," Ashflower meowed.

"Yes, they are." He paused for a moment. "Casey is Maggie's son. He's also Arabella's mate. Arabella! I completely forgot about her message. Oh, she can tell him herself, she lives closer to him than I do."

They arrived at Jake's nest. Stopping under the chestnut tree, Jake licked her cheek. "See you tomorrow, Ash."

"You too, Jake." Ashflower smiled. She leaped off the wall and raced away.

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**I'm sorry, there won't be any more Fun Facts unless I think of some. They were just to give you some extra info, anyway.**

**Well, now you met some new characters. Hope you like them. As always, review!**


	8. The Propechy

**Please, enjoy and review. If everyone says what their favorite story is in a review (Ash, Dark, Ghost or Meadow) I might do more chapters on that story! **

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Moonstep swept into her den, feeling worn-out. Today had been very busy. Not stressful, like when she had to treat life threatening injuries, but busy. First Longtooth picked up a thorn, which she quickly treated. She rather liked the friendly gray warrior, who would always listen to her and not treat her like someone whose only purpose was to treat injuries when they demanded it. _He's a good cat, _Moonstep thought.

Then Bramblewhisker had been stung by a bee. Moonstep didn't like her half as much as she liked Longtooth. She'd done her best to treat the swelling, but Bramblewhisker loudly complained that the herbs tasted bad and that Moonstep needed to hurry up. _She was acting like a cranky old elder, treating me like a kit! I'm the medicine cat now, and even though I'm young, she doesn't need to point it out, _she fumed.

All ShadowClan cats were like that. Trying to prove how tough and strong and ruthless they were. To be seen as weak was the worst insult in this Clan. It was a silent competition every day, to see who was the best hunter, or who was the best at fighting. _If they stopped judging eachother, ShadowClan would be a lot better off, _Moonstep thought.

She'd just entered the den when she saw she had a visitor. "Shiverkit, what are you doing?" she asked. Then she realized what was Shiverkit was sitting in. With a gasp, Moonstep grabbed the kit by the scruff and swung her away. "Shiverkit! Do you know what those are? They're deathberries!" The glistening red berries were scattered across the floor of the den. "They'll kill you! You didn't eat any did you?"

"No." Shiverkit mewed calmly. "I knew they were dangerous. I could feel it."

"Thank StarClan!" Moonstep growled. "Why were you even playing with them?"

Shiverkit shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted, tilting her head. She blinked her large, brown eyes.

"Well, run along to your mother, and don't ever let me catch you playing with them again!" Moonstep nudged her out of the den and she padded off. "What is Stonestar thinking, having me keep these in the den?! I told him it wasn't a good idea to have them in camp, and here's a perfect example, she could've died…" She trailed off, muttering angrily. _What a perfect way to end this day, kits in the deathberries!_

Curling up in the far corner of her den, she wrapped her red tabby tail around her nose and fell asleep.

_She awoke to find herself by the Moonpool. Mist layered the surface of the water, curling around Moonstep eerily. Rising to her paws, she looked around. "Hello?" she called out._

_"Moonstep…" a long-furred pale gray cat with glowing amber eyes and starry fur stepped out of the fog. _

_"Breezeflight!" Moonstep bounded forward to press her muzzle against her mentor's. _

_The old she cat gave a rusty purr. "I'm glad to see you've been doing so well, young one. But that is not why I'm here. I have a message for you."_

_"From who?" Moonstep asked._

_"From StarClan themselves." Breezeflight's eyes dimmed until they were their normal yellow. Her outline wavered slightly. "Death will come swiftly to all, and the Clans themselves will crumble. Ghost and Shiver must follow the past, or all is lost. Only they can save the Clans."_

_"The Clans will crumble? Death will come to all?" Moonstep was shocked. "What do you mean?!" _

_"There is nothing you can do." Breezeflight said. "They will follow their path. You must hope they do. They will be saviors, or they will." _

_"Wait, who?!" Moonstep was desperate for answers._

_"There is nothing you can do. Let life take its course…" Breezeflight started to fade._

_"Breezeflight, wait!" Moonstep shouted, but it was too late._

She opened her eyes. She was back in her den. Her heart was racing, and she panted slightly. "A prophecy that predicts the end of the Clans?" she said weakly.

She repeated the prophecy to herself several times. "Ghost and Shiver must follow the past…" She paused. "Shiver? Shiverkit? Is it Shiverkit?"

Far away from where Moonstep lay, Wind woke up suddenly.

**..............................................................................................................................................**

**Short, but I love it. One of my favorite chapters yet.**

**Now review!**


	9. Hatred?

**This was a little bit filler, but it will go somewhere. As always, I hope you like it.**

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Leopardpaw bounded eagerly after his mentor. Oaktalon led the way to the Sandy Hollow, where ThunderClan went to practice their fighting skills. Sparring was the only thing Leopardpaw would be doing today, and it was his favorite thing.

He rushed ahead as they reached the clearing. Oaktalon frowned at him, but made no comment. Leopardpaw skidded to a stop, sending up a spray of sand. They weren't alone. Mintleaf and Spottedthroat were already there, along with their apprentices, Dawnpaw and Snowpaw. The two younger cats sat together on the far side of the clearing, talking. When Dawnpaw saw him, she narrowed her eyes.

Dawnpaw hated Leopardpaw. And Leopardpaw hated her, too. There had never been a bossier, annoying, or stuck-up apprentice _ever. _She turned her silver tabby back to him. Snowpaw shot him an amused glance.

Spottedthroat took a position in the center of the clearing and spoke to all the apprentices. "Jaywing has told me that Brackenpaw twisted his ankle on the dawn patrol, and won't be joining us today. So we're going to begin now." He waved his tail for them to come forward. "We're starting by learning a new move, the 'scruff shake'. This is used on rats and cats smaller than yourself. Since you're all a bit older and larger now, yes, you too, Snowpaw, this is an effective technique to learn. Now pay attention… For this move, you grab your opponent by the scruff of the neck and shake them as hard as you can until he or she is too rattled to fight back. I believe, because you are apprentices, that you all have had it used _on_ you during a battle, so you should know what I'm talking about."

They all nodded. It _had _been used on them.

"Okay, so," Mintleaf said, taking over. "We're going to practice. Obviously we can't practice on each other, because Dawnpaw and Leopardpaw are the same size, and I won't subject Snowpaw to being shaken to death like a rat. Instead, we're going to practice on these balls of moss."

Padding back to the edge of the sand, she hooked three lumps of moss on her claws and hopped back towards them on three legs. She tossed one at each of them.

Leopardpaw caught the wad of moss in his teeth. He knew it was necessary to learn new moves, but he wanted to practice _real _fighting, on someone else, not on moss. _When we do get to fight, at least I can shake them It'll be a fun move to try, _he thought. He grinned at the mental image of Dawnpaw being shaken by a big cat.

"Leopardpaw? Leopardpaw!" He looked up in surprise. Mintleaf was glaring at him. "I said, 'Do you want to try first?'" Dawnpaw smirked.

"Uh, sure," he said. Gripping the moss ball in his teeth, he whipped his head back and forth, until the moss was torn free and rolled away. Leopardpaw spit out the bits caught in his teeth.

"Good." Oaktalon had walked over, watching him. "Try again." Leopardpaw grinned and fetched the moss.

"No, Snowpaw, you need to shake your head side-to-side. Like a dog," Spottedthroat instructed. Soon moss was flying everywhere.

Leopardpaw destroyed his moss. He shook his head until he was dizzy. When he stopped, moss bits were scattered around, nothing left in his mouth.

"Good job, everyone." Oaktalon was pleased. "Now we can have some one on one combat practice. How about… Snowpaw and Mintleaf? Just to make things different."

Mintleaf agreed, and the two faced off, dark gray fur circling around fluffy white. They dove, spinning and whirling around each other. Snowpaw leaped at Mintleaf's back, but Mintleaf ducked. Snowpaw sailed over before turning and leaping at Mintleaf again, this time aiming at her legs. Mintleaf tripped, falling on Snowpaw. They both did well, and their mock-battle ended soon. Leopardpaw's tail tip twitched with excitement.

"Okay," Spottedthroat said. "Leopardpaw and Dawnpaw, why don't you two give it a go?"

Leopardpaw groaned internally. _Of course, it's Dawnpaw. _He was often pitted against her, since they were the same age, but it just wasn't as fun. If she lost, she'd give him the cold shoulder for days. If she won, he wouldn't hear the end of it.

Taking a fighting stance, they glared at each other. Quick as lightning, Leopardpaw darted forward. Dawnpaw was forced to drop to her belly to avoid the blow, which gave Leopardpaw the chance to whirl around and pounce on her. She snarled and wriggled beneath him, but wasn't able to push the larger weight off. Changing tactic, she squirmed until she was on her back and started to pummel his belly with her paws.

Leopardpaw sprang away from her strong kicks, but as Dawnpaw flipped to her feet, he rushed her again. An idea had swiftly come to him. Dawnpaw reared up to fend off his attack but he rammed her and knocked her over. _She must be having an off day, because there's no way she's letting me win, _Leopardpaw thought.

Same as he had done with the moss, he clamped down on Dawnpaw's scruff and shook her. She was much heavier than the moss, but he managed. She thrashed, lashing out. Her aim caught him square in the nose.

He hissed as he backed away, blinking in pain. Dawnpaw, furious at being shaken, went on the offensive and launched herself at him. They fell into the sand, hitting each other with their paws, not trying to use any special moves.

"All right, that's enough!" Oaktalon called. The apprentices separated, glaring at each other. Leopardpaw shook the sand out of his fur. Dawnpaw licked hers into place.

"That was excellent. You both are skilled fighters. Dawnpaw, you didn't seem quite as focused in the beginning, but you yourself together near the end. Leopardpaw, I'm glad you're trying new moves, but that was what let Dawnpaw attack you, so you might want to practice more."

The six cats continued training until the sun was low in the sky. Oaktalon and Spottedthroat decided it was time to go back, mostly because they wanted to visit their mates in the nursery. As they walked back to camp, Leopardpaw glanced over at Dawnpaw. Her dark silver tabby fur glinted oddly in the orange light. Then he noticed she was staring at him.

When she realized he saw her staring at him, she immediately looked away, dropping back to walk with Snowpaw. She glared at the ground the whole time.

_That was weird, _Leopardpaw thought. _She was probably just imagining what would happen if she tried to push me into the river. _

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**So there you go. In case you didn't know which Clan that was and didn't bother to check the Allegiances, it was ThunderClan. **

**Thanks to everyone who has ever reviewed any of my stories!**


	10. Trouble

**Yay! The story tenth chapter! Now only 90 more to go (I count the Allegiances chapter as one of the 101).**

**Like I said in my story **_**Cursed, **_**I'm feeling generous and giving away plushies to everyone who reviews. I decided to do the same for this story, so review!**

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Lightshine loped after her patrol. Halfstripe, one of the senior warriors, was leading. Besides him, the only other cat was Quickstream, another young she-warrior. They were hunting along the north western border, where the Oak Hill was. All Lightshine had caught today was a single rabbit, which was slightly disappointing. Quickstream had managed to snag a pair of blackbirds, with Halfstripe getting a hare of his own. Luckily, WindClan prey was usually larger than the other Clan's, so they didn't need to catch as much.

They stopped now, catching their breath while resting on top of the Oak Hill, which was an averaged size hill with a single massive oak tree on top. It was shaded and cool here.

Lightshine laid on her side and groomed her red and white fur. She liked to think she was pretty, especially since most WindClan warriors had pelts of gray or brown. _I am a beautiful she cat, _she thought to herself. _Now all I need is a mate, and my life will be complete. _

Lightshine wasn't stuck-up. She was confident. She kept her thoughts to herself, and didn't criticize others.

But as for a mate, she wanted one. She was desperate for love. She'd had a crush on Rabbitclaw when they were apprentices, but he'd fallen for Echoflight. Out of all the toms in WindClan, there was no one for her. Two of them had a mate, Halfstripe and Willowclaw were too old, Vineleg and Hollowpaw were medicine cats, Duststorm and Blackspots were both interested in someone else, and the rest were elders! Of course, there was Swishtail, but he and Lightshine would _not _be good mates for each other. Which left Lightshine alone.

_Think on the positive side, _Lightshine thought. _Maybe Gorsekit will be the one for me. He's only two years younger than me. _She giggled at the thought of her future mate being a kit.

Out of nowhere, Halfstripe yowled, "Run!"

Lightshine sprang to her feet, just in time for something huge to smash into her. Teeth sank into her sides, and she was hurled into the air screaming. She hit the ground with a painful thud.

A huge dog loomed over, lunging again. Adrenaline coursed through her, and time slowed down. Lightshine clamped her eyes shut in terror, knowing the dog would be on her a split second later. She heard Quickstream's voice screech, "NO!" Then there was a yelp of pain.

Opening her eyes, Lightshine saw that Quickstream had thrown herself at the dog, slashing at its muzzle. It gave her time to leap to her paws (sides protesting sharply) and dive onto the oak. She hadn't climbed a tree since she was an apprentice, but the adrenaline in her paws allowed her to fly up into the branches. Halfstripe was already there, his eyes fixed on Quickstream.

The wiry silver she cat was fleeing from a second dog. She flung herself as far up the trunk as she could get just above the dog's snapping jaws. She srambled up to perch nex to them, panting. "Thank you," Lightshine murmured. She nodded.

The smaller dog was lunging at the tree, trying to get at them. It was having fun, but its eyes were fixed on the cats with a single minded determination. "Go home!" Halfstripe hissed.

The bigger dog, the one with the bloody muzzle, was circling and whimpering. It stayed away from them but sniffed at one of the rabbits, licking its fur. Barking at the other dog, it scooped up the rabbit and trotted away. The little dog pounced on a blackbird, shaking it viciously like it would've tried to do to the warriors. Then it ran after its friend, disappearing over the hills.

Cautiously, the three climbed down the tree. Lightshine's sides were bleeding.

"Come on, we're going back. Get that hare, Quickstream. Lightshine, can you walk?"

"Yeah," she panted trying to avoid whimpering. Halfstripe picked up the non-mangled bird and let Lightshine lean on him. They walked as fast as they could back to the camp.

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Back in camp, Halfstripe reported what had happened. Thornstar was upset by the news, but didn't believe it was especially serious. "We've dealt with dogs plenty of times before. As long as warriors keep an eye out, we can always outrun them. They're probably just a couple of escaped Twoleg pets, anyway." Wolfsong, the silver furred deputy, didn't look as convinced.

Lightshine listened to this all from the medicine den. Vineleg and Hollowpaw had patched her up nicely, and she felt much better. She felt slightly drowsy from the herbs they gave her, so she stayed curled up in a nest of dry grass. _Stupid dogs, _she thought. _Stealing our prey. I have a feeling they'll be causing more trouble than just today's incident…_

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**So, another look into the WindClan life. Seriously, if anyone has anyone for later chapters, that's great. RiverClan will be involved in several stories, but poor WindClan will only star in a few unless I can think of another interesting and different idea. Ideas starring any Clan are accepted, though. I'd like to even things out.**

**Remember, free plushies!**


	11. Youngest Life

**Okay, first of all, I realized while writing this chapter that I was writing it in first person, and all my other chapters in this story are written in third person. I decided I don't care, because while the chapters aren't the same, first person is fun and in certain chapters like this one it's better to write in first person. **

**Also, while this chapter won't lead to anything important, I'm sure I'll be using these characters again later. It was so much fun to write this!**

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Light. Bits of it on the floor. Making shadows in the corners of the den, that seem so far away from where I laid. I blinked. Then I blinked again in surprise. My eyes were open.

My vision was poor, but I could see well enough. I turned my head to catch the first glimpse of my brother, Sleetkit. I knew he was my brother because I recognized his scent. His eyes were not open like mine.

I studied him curiously. His soft fur was light gray, with dark gray tabby stripes. His flank rose and fell with each fluttery breath. He was sleeping.

I looked down at my paws. My own pelt was a dark brown color, with black stripes. My sides were the same.

When a blinked again, my eyes almost stayed shut out of habit. I decided I liked them better open. There was so much to see.

I used my legs to drag and kick my way across the den. I accidentally bumped into my sister, Cherrykit. Her head was raised, trying to figure out what had bumped her. Sniffing, she stuck out her tiny pink tongue and tasted the air. Probably looking for our mother, Echoflight.

I was mesmerized by Cherrykit's fur. It was a confusing swirl of pale orange, white and dark brown. I stared at her for a while, but grew bored. I wanted Echoflight. I opened my mouth and wailed.

Moments later, she slipped into the den. Following her was a cat I didn't know. She fixed her blue eyes on me. As she stared down, I realized our fur looked very similar, except mine didn't have any white. The thought made me happy.

Echoflight gasped. "Hollowpaw, look, Passionkit's eyes are open!" She purred. I loved the sound.

The other cat looked down at me. I raised my head to sniff at him. "She's right on time, I think," he said. He said something else but I couldn't understand. "She's eight days old now, so no worries."

"Sleetkit opened his eyes for a while yesterday, but he hasn't since then," Echoflight said, worried. "And Cherrykit hasn't opened hers at all."

I was tired of these strange words. "Mama!" I scooted over to her.

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm right here." Scooping me up with a seemingly huge, warm paw, she tucked me next to her side. "Hollowpaw, would you go get Rabbitclaw? He should be here."

A new voice interrupted. "Rabbitclaw just left on a patrol, he'll be out for a while." Bluesky padded in, Gorsekit behind her. I knew them, too. Gorsekit looked at me curiously.

"Of all the luck," Echoflight sighed. "Well, he can see later. Maybe Cherrykit ill open hers."

"Her eyes are beautiful," said Bluesky. "They're blue-ish now, but you can already see they're changing. It looks like they'll end up purple."

"Maybe," said my mother. "I'm not so sure, though."

I gave up trying to understand. Instead, I started crawling. Glancing around, I realized the one called Hollowpaw was gone. Gorsekit was still looking at me. I blinked, and he padded over. Besides my siblings, he was the closest to being my size.

"Hi, Passionkit," he said. I didn't understand, but I vaguely recognized my name. And he was staring at my face when he spoke, so I knew he was talking to me.

He didn't know what else to say. "So, err… What's it like being able to see?"

I noticed he had gray and white fur. And blue eyes, like Bluesky and Echoflight. With a start, I realized Hollowpaw had green eyes. The first cat I had ever seen to not have blue eyes.

"I guess you can't talk." Gorsekit sounded disappointed. I remembered that he was talking to me, and tried to focus on that.

"Mew," I said. I reached up to bat at him with a paw.

"Well," Gorsekit said. "You can say 'mew' and 'mama'. Is there anything else? Maybe your name?"

I still had no idea what he said, except for mew and mama. I tried to think of something else to say. Sounds danced in the back of my mind, forming words with meanings. I thought of Gorsekit, and how nice he was. I liked him. The feeling reminded me of a word I'd heard…what was it? … Friend! That was the word I was looking for.

"Fff-" I tried to say. I couldn't make the right sound. Frustrated, I tried again. "Fff- en. D. Ff-en-d." It wasn't right, but it was as close as I could get.

"What is it?" Gorsekit asked, excited. "What are you trying to say?"

"Ff-end," I mewed with all my heart. All this speaking had exhausted me, and I was ready to go back to sleep. I gave up talking, and rested my head on my paws.

"I don't think Passionkit can carry out a conversation yet, Gorsekit," Bluesky purred with amusement. He nodded, but after hearing me attempting to talk to him he was satisfied enough.

"Bring her here please, she needs her rest." Echoflight beckoned with her tail.

I felt Gorsekit grip my scruff and pick me up. The tip of my tail dragged on the ground. He set me down next to my mother. I nestled against her side, squirming between Cherrykit and Sleetkit. I closed my eyes, falling away into a sleepy darkness.

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**So much fun! I loved writing this. I thought it was pretty good, unlike many things I've read that are from a kit's point of view, where the kit is fully aware of its surroundings and can speak fluently from the moment it's born. **

**Please review! It encourages me to write more, and with school and all that, I need as much encouragement as I can get to update soon!**


	12. Story of a Rose

**Rosepaw will be appearing later in the story, but you need to know her history. Hope you like it.**

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_Flashback, to nearly eight and a half moons ago_

The tabby she cat steps out of the house. Her brown pelt is graying with age. She stretches in the sun that shines down into the backyard, when she hears a strange noise. Strange, yet familiar. She's heard that sound before. She pricks her ears.

There it is again! A mewling kitten is nearby. Maggie hadn't heard that sound since her own kittens were born, two and a half years ago. Following the cries, she pads to the far corner of the yard. Slipping carefully past the thorns of the rosebush, she comes to a stop. Nestled in a cluster fallen leaves and rose petals, there lays a tiny kit.

Maggie inches forward. The kitten is a female, and she is newborn, probably a day old. She has the most beautiful fluffy tortoiseshell fur Maggie's ever seen. The old kittypet smiled.

_Who would leave a precious little kitten all alone? She's so tiny… _Maggie is very worried. This adorable kit will die without proper care. Someone out there must know she's here, and is going to come get her…

_Maybe someone's not. _She knew it was true. For some reason that was inexplicable to her, mother cats would sometimes abandon there kits to the world. _I will not let her die. _

She loves kits. But she was too old to have any more. And she misses her kits so much since they left…

The tortoiseshell mews again. She is hungry, and cold. Maggie can't resist. Scooping up the tiny thing, she pads back into the house, hoping her humans would help the kitten.

__

It has been a moon since Maggie found the kitten. In honor of the bush she was found under, Maggie named the kitten Rose. Since that day, no mother cat ever came looking for the kitten. So Maggie became Rose's mother.

Maggie's humans were very kind. They understood that she'd be an excellent mother, and they could see how much she loved Rose. Since Maggie couldn't, they fed Rose a bottle of strange fake-milk stuff. The humans took Rose to the vet's and had her get shots so she wouldn't get sick. They let Maggie care for Rose as if Rose was her own. Maggie couldn't have been happier.

But this happiness couldn't last.

__

By three months old, Rose started taking care of herself. She didn't drink milk anymore, so the humans had started feeding her the same soft food they gave Maggie. But according to Rose, the food wasn't tasty at all. Maggie would try to reason with her to eat it, and she would, but like all kits she whined and complained and fought the whole time. Quite often, she went hunting for herself. She had a natural ability for sneaking around in the dark, which became even better because she crept out the cat-flap every night.

She loved to go exploring, and her adventures usually terrified Maggie. "Look at me!" she'd call as she teetered on the edge of the roof.

"Come down, Rose! You're going to kill yourself!" Maggie would shout back as she chased after the little cat.

"I can take you on!" Rose would yell before swiping at the neighbor's dog, who would lunge back barking and growling.

"Stop! Leave him alone, get away from him!"

"Aw, Maggie, I'm fine. He can't touch me, see?" Rose would demonstrate by holding her tail dangerously close to the dog's face.

"Aaagh!" Maggie scrambled to try and stop her. Rose would dodge her and laugh.

__

By five months old, Rose was much older. Maggie knew from experience that kits were excitable and uncooperative, but Rose should've been past that stage by now. Rose was a born and bred rebel. She hated to have her pride hurt, and would hold a grudge for days if she was made to do something she didn't want to do. She was a wild, unstoppable force of nature, as beautiful and free as a lightning storm.

Maggie liked the quiet life. She spent her days laying in the warmth of the sun, and listening to the birds sing. Whenever Rose did something she considered wild or dangerous, she tried to make her stop, and scolded her repeatedly for breaking the rules. She knew that young cats were always over-confident in their abilities, thinking that nothing could touch them. One of these days, Rose was going to get hurt.

Rose didn't care. She did whatever she wanted, fighting Maggie every step of the way. She insisted that Maggie's fears were irrational, that she could take care of herself. This led to unhappiness between them that lasted for weeks.

__

When Rose was six and a half months old, she'd made up her mind. She couldn't continue life with Maggie. Being a housepet wasn't for her. She wanted her freedom.

One night she approached Maggie. "Maggie," she said, hesitating. "I think it's time for me to move on."

"I understand," Maggie sighed. "Kits always know when it's their time to go. They can't stay with their mothers forever."

They said their goodbyes, and Rose promised to return sometimes. They parted on good terms, erasing any bitter feelings left between them. That night, Rose ran away into the woods.

Her muscles were strong from her constant hunting, and her eyes were sharp in the night. But by morning, she was tired, hungry and lost in the woods. She fell asleep under a bush as the sun rose.

Not a half hour later, she awoke to see strange cats standing over her. To make a long story short, they took her to their camp, she spoke with their leader, who offered her a position among them. She was stunned.

"I can see that you are quick, brave, and already know how to hunt. You are the perfect age to be an apprentice," the gray she cat said. She explained what 'Clans' were, and how they worked. Rose agreed. After all, if things didn't work out, she could run away. She'd already fled from her old human's house, and figured herself an expert at running away.

The next day at noon, she became Rosepaw of RiverClan. And from then on her life continued in RiverClan. She met the love of her life, Flamingpaw, and became best friends with his sister, Stormypaw. She learned how to fight and even fish, though she still preferred to hunt in the dark.

This is the story of Rosepaw.

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**And there you go. That's Rosepaw. Remember to review, character plushies for anyone who does!**


	13. You Will Obey

**Another ShadowClan chapter. I hope you love it to death, but you might not, so I hope you at least like it. :D**

**Now it's time for the plushies! Yes, Serpent's ballet, that was pretty fast. Don't worry, Rosepaw's story will get a lot more interesting soon! A Passionkit plushie to you!**

**To Ciao Bello: Thanks! You think the names are weird? I thought they were pretty good, Echoflight is one of my faves… Maybe I just like weird names. A Butterflyheart plushie to you!**

**To Wolfstar-Coyoteblaze: Thanks to you too, and don't worry, this and the next chapter are Shadow and Thunder. A Jake plushie to you!**

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Marshpaw, now Marshfoot, had become intolerable. He'd gone from a bully to a cold hearted, ruthless cat. He was a rude to everyone, even the deputy, and he would go out of his way to be mean to others. However, two things hadn't changed. Darkpaw was still his main victim, and Marshfoot was still rather stupid.

"Hey, Darkpaw!" Marshfoot sneered. "I've been out hunting all day, and since you're an apprentice, I think you should bring me some prey!"

"But Marshfoot, if you've been out on a hunting patrol, you aren't allowed to eat until the rest of the Clan has eaten. I'm the only one here who hasn't eaten yet, so once I do you can eat. Why don't you bring me some fresh-kill"? Darkpaw said innocently.

Marshfoot's eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what Darkpaw meant. He vaguely remembered something about not eating when you on a hunting patrol, so… He had to bring Darkpaw food before he could eat? That wasn't right. Was it? He thought over this, brow furrowed, while Darkpaw made his escape.

He slipped away between the pine trees, knowing Marshfoot would be after him later. Hopefully he could put that encounter of off until their were witnesses to keep him in line. _Thank StarClan we don't sleep in the same den any more._

__

"Darkpaw!"

Darkpaw winced. _Time to be tormented by Marshfoot. _

"Darkpaw!" Marshfoot called again. He ran over, eyes glinting with malice. "I've got a lovely idea. I really don't feel like hunting today, so I figure you can for me!"

"What?!" Darkpaw yelped. _Hunting for him?! What gave him this idea? Why should I? _"Do it yourself, you lazy fleabag," he spat.

Marshfoot snarled. Darkpaw had never insulted him so harshly before, and he didn't like being challenged by cats he considered to be below himself. Raising a heavy paw, he slammed a blow to the back of Darkpaw's head, sending the apprentice sprawling against the ground. "You do what I tell you to do!" he hissed. He lifted his foot to strike again.

"Fine, fine, I will!" Darkpaw said, tensing for the pain.

"Good." Marshfoot kicked him to get his point across. "I'll take whatever you catch. Get to work."

Darkpaw staggered to his paws. He had only an hour to catch enough prey for two cats, or he would come back empty-pawed, Marshfoot getting all the praise.

_This won't last, _Darkpaw vowed. _This time, Marshfoot has gone too far._

__

It did last. Every day, Darkpaw was forced to hunt for Marshfoot, and do other chores for him. He was threatened or hit if he didn't obey. Every day, bit by bit, Darkpaw became more and more like Marshfoot's slave.

Wildpaw was suspicious, but she didn't know why her brother constantly spent all his free time hunting. Since the recent battle with ThunderClan **(A/N: Sorry, the battle will be the next chapter) **Marshfoot was even more agitated than usual, and Wildpaw was beginning to suspect his interference in Darkpaw's life.

Today Marshfoot had walked with Darkpaw to a swampy clearing in the pines so he could rant. "Those stupid ThunderClan cats! Who do they think they are? We should've torn them to shreds!"

"Well, we _did _steal prey from them," Darkpaw pointed out.

"Shut up!" Marshfoot glared. "Sneaking into our territory like rats…" he trailed off, muttering. The he turned to Darkpaw. "But I have an idea. I'm going to get revenge on ThunderClan, and you're going to help."

Filled with dread at whatever revenge plan Marshfoot had thought up, Darkpaw said, "What?"

"We're going to sneak into their camp and steal some kits!" Marshfoot grinned with pride at what he probably thought was the smartest thing he's ever said.

"Stealing kits?!" Darkpaw gasped. "That's insane! You'll cause another battle!"

"A battle we will win." Marshfoot looked so confident. "You're going to help me, and you won't tell anyone. _Anyone. _We'll do it tonight, when they're all asleep."

Darkpaw gaped wordlessly. _What am I going to do now?_

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**Oooh, the mystery. Marshfoot is a cruel cat, stealing kits to cause a battle. Will it work? **

**By the way, the battle happened after Darkpaw started hunting for Marshfoot but before that third section there, where Marshfoot had his 'brilliant' idea. **

**Thanks for reading! Character plushies for all who review!**


	14. Victory and Tragedy

**Coyoteblaze was the only one who reviewed the last chapter before I got this one up, so she is the only one to get a plushie (yes, I know I've been updating quickly, it's a good thing). A Lightshine plushie to you!**

**To everyone who is reading or has ever read this story: Thank you so much, especially if you reviewed, you motivate me to keep writing! **

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Sunblaze prowled through the trees. He followed the silver tabby tail of Splashface as it swished behind a bush. Stretching out his own fluffy golden tabby tail, he wrapped the end comfortingly around Fireflower's neck. Not that she needed comfort. No, she was eager to teach the ShadowClan cats a lesson. Tail still draped over her neck and shoulders, he led the way deeper into the pines.

ShadowClan must've smelled the coming; they waited, battle-ready, with Stonestar at the lead. He stood atop a medium sized, jutting boulder that leaned against one of the larger pines. "Welcome, Brightstar," he called, grinning smugly. As if Brightstar was no more than a kit throwing a tantrum. His insolent tone infuriated Sunblaze, as well as the rest of ThunrderClan.

"Stonestar," Brightstar mewed coldly. "Sadly, I do not have time to chat. I-"

"What's the rush?" he said. _What does he think he's doing? _Sunblaze thought.

Brightstar narrowed her eyes. "Unless you are an ignorant fool, you know exactly why we're here. Your warriors have been openly crossing the border and stealing prey from ThunderClan for the past moon. This ends today." ThunderClan yowled in agreement.

Stonestar lashed his tail. "So be it. Attack!"

"Attack!" Brightstar yowled. The two waves of cats charged each other, meeting in a crash of fur and claws. Sunblaze launched himself at a fluffy gray tabby tom, but the ShadowClan warrior was strong and hardly stumbled. They reared up and shoved at each other, a match of pure strength.

There was a familiar shriek off to his left, and Sunblaze turned to see that a tabby apprentice had bitten Fireflower's tail. Fireflower lunged claws first at the she-apprentice, but Sunblaze's sight of her was cut off as the gray tabby tom took advantage of the distraction and slammed him into the ground. Gasping for breath, Sunblaze pummeled weakly at his stomach.

A fiery streak shot through the air and smacked into the tom. Rolling to his paws, Sunblaze saw that Fireflower had attacked him. Instead of strength, she used speed. Darting in crazy patterns, skirting just under the tom's claws, slashing and biting when she got the chance. Leaping over to help, Sunblaze rammed his shoulder against the tom. He fought bravely but couldn't keep track of the both of them. He sprang backwards to try and recover, but they pushed their advantage and he fled.

Panting, they grinned at each other. Fireflower had a cut under her eye and scarlet blood made a thin line down her cheek. Sunblaze's pelt stung where some of his fur had been clawed out, but he was okay. "What happened to the apprentice?" he asked.

"Hit her across the face and she ran. I think she's still fighting, though," Fireflower said.

"Determined," Sunblaze remarked. He threw himself back into the battle.

It was clear they were winning. The ShadowClan cats were excellent fighters, but they honestly didn't seem to care about winning. If the situation was reversed and ThunderClan had hunted on ShadowClan land, ShadowClan would hunt them down and tear them to shreds. But they knew they were wrong, so they didn't fight nearly as hard.

Most of ShadowClan had already run. Only a few cats were left fighting, and those were scattering quickly. Sunblaze paused and looked at the cats still left.

Jaywing was locked in fierce combat with a scrawny black and white she cat. The two black and white warriors tumbled apart and lunged at each other again. Jaywing was bigger, and he reared onto his hind legs so he could tower over her. But as he came back down, something was wrong. His eyes stared blankly as he hit the ground limply. Not realizing, the she cat sprang at him when suddenly he started jerking wildly.

Thrashing, eyes rolled back into his head, spit gathering at the corners of his mouth, Jaywing had a seizure. Right in the middle of the _battle. _When the convulsions started, the she cat screeched and scuttled backwards like a frantic insect. She stared at him in horror, before whipping around and racing away, possibly thinking she might be blamed for Jaywing's strange behavior.

I sprinted over, and with the help of Spottedthroat and Coyoteblaze we pinned him to the grass. After a minute or two, he calmed down. Blinking, he swallowed dryly. He didn't say anything. Brightstar looked sadly at him as we helped him to his feet.

"The battle is won," she said quietly. "Let's return."

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Back at camp, Jaywing was resting in the medicine den. Squirrelwhisker was keeping an eye on him, and was discussing the seizure with Brightstar in a low voice.

"I'm good friends with him, I know him," Squirrelwhisker insisted. "He is in good control over his state of mind. He understands right away where he is and what happened."

"What if Briarpelt continued her attack? He could've easily been killed," Brightstar argued.

"You were all there, you could've protected him!"

"If it was the middle of the battle, the whole of ShadowClan would be there, and we'd be busy fighting them! I just don't think it's safe for him to continue as a warrior…"

"Give him a chance. The life of a medicine cat isn't the life for him, and I don't want to waste such a shining, young spirit as an _elder!" _

"I know. I don't want to subject him to that, either. Maybe… Maybe he can just skip the next battle. He can guard the camp."

"Well, it's something," he sighed.

__

Squirrelwhisker padded to Jaywing's temporary nest. "How're ya feelin'?" he asked.

"Just fine." He was silent. "Squirrelwhisker…"

"Yes?" he asked.

"I know you're my friend, but you're also a medicine cat. Do you think… Do you think it was my destiny to be a warrior? I mean, I'm nothing but an extra mouth for the Clan. I'm useless, internally crippled, I can't even fight my own fights-" he choked up.

"Jaywing," Squirrelwhisker sighed. "You aren't useless. You're an excellent warrior, and it's a title you deserve. And I won't lie, you may be crippled, but that means nothing. There are plenty of crippled cats who became some of the most important warriors, medicine cats, and leaders ever."

"I just don't know," Jaywing said thickly. "I want to help, but I can't. I can't."

"You can. You have. And you will, again. Let StarClan guide your path, for only they know your fate. Sometimes life isn't fair, but if you make the best of it, you'll always win." Squirrelwhisker laid his tail across Jaywing's shoulders. "Never give up, Jaywing."

"Thanks." He smiled sadly, but with determination. "I'll try. Forever, I'll try."

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**An interesting little combo of exciting battle scenes and sad life-lesson scenes. It may have ended sad-yet-happy, but don't forget the awesomeness of the battle! Please review!**


	15. Surprises

**Reviewer plushies time! To Wolfstar-Coyoteblaze: Thanks! I felt it was time for some real action, too. An Ashflower plushie, to compliment the Jake one, I think? To Serpent's Ballet: That's okay, I hate it when that happens. And I don't expect you to review every one of the 101 chapters, it's up to the reader! Since you reviewed twice, I'll make an exception and give you a double pack of Wildpaw and Darkpaw plushies!**

**I don't know what else to say besides 'I love reviews' and 'I love you if read or review my stories' and 'I hope you like this chapter' so that's all I'm gonna say! **

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Meadowpaw woke suddenly, a sharp pain flaring in her belly. Gritting her teeth and digging her claws into the dirt, she hissed in a breath. The pain slowly faded, and her muscles relaxed. She shifted around in her nest of dry grass, but she knew she couldn't fall back asleep. It was dawn, anyways.

Peering out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cloverpaw staring at her with frustration. Sighing internally, Meadowpaw said, "Yes, Cloverpaw?"

"You need to go straight to the medicine cat!" Cloverpaw burst out, but kept her voice low. "You've been having these pains for a moon, you could be seriously ill, but you won't let Vineleg examine you!"

"I know…" Meadowpaw mewed miserably. "I just… I can't do it!"

"You _have _to. You could… you could _die." _Cloverpaw whispered the last word, terror in her eyes.

But that was just the thing. Meadowpaw couldn't go to the medicine cat for that exact reason. _What if I _am _dying? _she thought. _If I go… and Vineleg tells me I'm dying, there's nothing he can do… I don't want to die! I don't want to sicken and waste away, slipping away a little more every day, just like Cloudfur. _Cloudfur, Meadowpaw and Cloverpaw's mother, had died from sickness less than a moon after they became apprentices. _I don't want to die like that! I can't do it! _

"I know I could die," Meadowpaw whispered. "If it's something serious. I just… I don't want to follow in Cloudfur's footsteps… She was so beautiful, but she just got sicker and sicker…"

"I know what you mean." Cloverpaw's voice was sympathetic. "But you might just have a- a flu or something. And if you get help, you'll be just fine." When Meadowpaw didn't look convinced, she said, "It's better than lying to yourself. You need help. One quick check to make sure everything is fine. I'll even go with you."

"Will you?" Meadowpaw asked.

"Of course," Cloverpaw said. "Come on, let's go."

"Now?!" Meadowpaw squeaked.

"You might change your mind later." Cloverpaw didn't pause as she led the way out of the apprentice's den.

Moments later, they were pushing through the tumbleweeds that shielded the entrance of the medicine den. Sticking her head in, Cloverpaw meowed "Vineleg!"

The elderly tabby shuffled up to where they were, blinking sleep out of his eyes. "Cloverpaw, Meadowpaw," he mewed affectionately. "What a nice surprise, even if it's an early surprise."

Cloverpaw ducked her head to apologize. "Meadowpaw would like a quick examination, if you don't mind." She nudged her sister forward into the den.

"Of course," Vineleg yawned. Turning, he called, "Hollowpaw, we have visitors!"

The dusky brown apprentice padded forward, waving his tail to the two older she cats. Then he led the way into the largest section of the den, where the patients stayed.

"Why don't you lay down here, Meadowpaw?" Vineleg pointed at a clear spot of soft ground. Meadowpaw complied, and Cloverpaw and Hollowpaw sat near the wall.

"Now," Vineleg said, "What has been bothering you?"

"Well, I've been having sharp pains, in my belly mostly, for the last moon. Besides that, I just… I feel weird. I've been eating a lot, and I have strange dreams, and- I just don't know." A few tears fell as she admitted all this.

Vineleg looked concerned. "Well, it sounds like you have worms." Meadowpaw flinched but nodded. "The belly pains and eating could explain that, and as for the dreams, that might just be stress." He paused. "Do you mind if I feel your stomach, to see if you're bloated?" She shook her head mutely.

Resting his front paws on her stomach, Vineleg carefully rubbed them down her stomach and back, pressing lightly. He frowned, and started again. His paws passed over her sandy fur twice more, before his eyes widened.

"Great StarClan," he whispered in shock. "You're going to have kits."

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**It may have been short, but it was one of my favorite chapters to write. This certainly is getting interesting. Remember to review!**


	16. Allies

**This is the longest chapter in this story so far, but it was amazing to write. I loved it. And sorry, no plushies for a while.**

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**(**Continued directly from _Marshfoot)_

Marshfoot led the way as he and Darkpaw crept towards the ThunderClan border. The night hid their shapes in shadows, and the two slipped along in silence. They were just about to cross the Thunderpath.

Pausing, they waited. There was no need; monsters never came by at this time of night. Marshfoot darted to the center of the road, his thick muscles rippling under his tabby fur. "Come on!" he hissed over his shoulder. Darkpaw hesitated but ran after him, the black stone stinging his paws.

Marshfoot didn't speak as they ran through the strange ThunderClan territory. Trees loomed over them. It was kind of creepy, but ShadowClan cats had the advantage in the night. If they were quiet, they wouldn't be found.

Darkpaw was panting hard by the time they slowed by the ThunderClan camp wall. They had run nearly the whole way from the ShadowClan camp. "Quiet," Marshfoot whispered, though no one was talking.

Taking up the lead, Darkpaw crept around the outside wall. He stopped when he reached something strange. There was a gorse-filled tunnel that led into the camp like a back entrance. He waved to Marshfoot, who followed after him. They crawled through the tunnel into the center of camp.

Darkpaw hadn't been here before, and didn't know which den was which. Sniffing carefully, he padded towards a cozy den with soft, grassy walls. The scent of milk wafted through the entrance. "I think it's this one," he whispered.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Marshfoot snapped in a hushed tone. The two toms inched forward into the den. Near the entrance, two large kits were curled up against a creamy she cat. Marshfoot snatched up one of the kits and twisted around, fleeing out of the camp and into the darkness. Darkpaw carefully picked up the other, and wheeled away to catch up to Marshfoot.

They sprinted for the ShadowClan border. If they were caught, they were crow-food. As they ran, the kit Darkpaw carried was jostled awake. She began squirming in surprise. "Creamberry?" she said, confused.

"Quiet," Darkpaw whispered around her scruff. She fell silent, seeming to realize the danger she was in.

They slowed when they had crossed the Thunderpath. Marshfoot set down the kit he was carrying, which had some how stayed asleep during the entire thing. Marshfoot prodded the kit until he blinked, looking around sleepily. Darkpaw dropped his kit as well. She was only a few moons younger than him, and quite heavy.

"Walk, you two," Marshfoot growled. The dark tabby tom and golden tabby she cat followed behind them obediently.

"What's going on?" the tom asked his sister.

"I don't know," she replied. "I think we're on ShadowClan territory!"

Darkpaw felt horrible as he listened to their fearful words. He was a kit thief! Attempting to distract himself, he asked, "So what are your names?" He slowed his pace so he could talk with them.

"I'm Adderkit!" the tabby tom blurted out. "Are you a ShadowClan warrior?"

"Yes, well, an apprentice," Darkpaw explained.

"I'm Goldenkit," the she cat said. "Why are we here? What are you going to do to us?" Her voice wavered slightly on the last part.

Making sure Marshfoot was out of hearing range, Darkpaw whispered, "Look, I'm really sorry about all this. Marshfoot is making me kit-nap you."

The siblings looked upset, but put on brave faces and nodded. "Are you taking us to your camp?" Goldenkit asked.

"Yes," Darkpaw said. "I think so."

Adderkit nudged Goldenkit. Pressing his muzzle to her ear, he whispered urgently. Goldenkit's eyes flickered suspiciously to Darkpaw.

Darkpaw, guessing what they were going to do, said, "It's no point trying to run away. Marshfoot would just catch you, and who knows what he would do when he did."

The two kits jumped apart, guilty looks on their faces. "S-sorry!" Adderkit mumbled.

"Yes," Darkpaw muttered. "I'm sorry too." As he looked down at the two frightened kits, he pictured a brown tabby she cat and a dark gray and white tom. It could be Wildpaw and him. Lifting his head, Darkpaw knew there was only one thing to do.

He leaned down and whispered to the two kits. "Start running, and don't stop for anything. Go that way." He pointed in the direction of the Thunderpath. "Be careful. Go!"

"But you just said there was no point in-" Adderkit started.

"Forget what I said. I've got a plan. Just run! Now!" Darkpaw shoved Goldenkit in the right direction. The two wheeled around and started running as if their paws were on fire.

At the sound of pattering feet, Marshfoot glanced over his shoulder. Seeing the two fleeing kits sprinting blindly away into the dark, he spun around. "Get them, you dung-brain!" he shouted at Darkpaw.

As Marshfoot thundered past, intent on his escaping prisoners, Darkpaw lunged. He crashed into Marshfoot, but it was like leaping into a boulder. Marshfoot wasn't injured, but he stopped as he turned to glare at Darkpaw. Darkpaw didn't give him another chance. He sprang again, digging his claws into Marshfoot's shoulders.

Marshfoot realized he was under attack. He tried to throw Darkpaw off, but Darkpaw was hanging on for dear life. After a moment he gave up and fell to his side, intending to crush Darkpaw. He got out of the way just in time. As Marshfoot leapt to his paws, Darkpaw barreled into him again, and the toms flew into a fierce battle.

It didn't last long. Darkpaw managed to give Marshfoot a few nasty scratches and bites, but Marshfoot was older, better, and stronger. He slammed Darkpaw back-first into the ground, pinning him. Darkpaw lashed out weakly, panting for breath. He knew he couldn't win, but what would Marshfoot do to him now?

"You filthy snake! Traitor! You're a pathetic excuse for a cat!" Marshfoot spit. "You let them escape! I'll kill you for this!" he lunged for Darkpaw's throat.

"NOOOOOOOO!" A blood curling screech of fury rang through the air. Leaping through the brush, Wildpaw flew at Marshfoot. She attacked with all the rage of TigerClan, and for a brief instant, Darkpaw could swear he saw one of the huge striped cats fighting alongside her. Unstoppable, she lunged at Marshfoot's throat with her teeth bared.

He never knew what hit him. His face twisted into a snarl, he hit the ground, blood spilling from the wound in his neck. He shuddered a few times, then went still. Wildpaw stood over her kill, panting, her muzzle soaked with blood.

Darkpaw climbed to his paws, staring at his sister in shock. He had just witnessed her murder one of her own clanmates, but all he felt was gratitude. "Thank you," he whispered.

Wildpaw nodded. "I had to do it." She reminded Darkpaw of their great-great-grandfather, Tigerstar.

The bushes rustled. A huge white she cat with blackish stripes stepped out. The ThunderClan deputy. The two apprentices froze, not sure what she'd do.

She tilted her head, staring at the dead warrior. Then she fixed her gaze on Wildpaw. "You are cunning, young one, and brave," she purred. Wildpaw and Darkpaw looked at each other in confusion. "I saw the whole battle between you two." She waved her tail at Marshfoot and Darkpaw. "I understand what happened now. And it seems you have a mess to clean up."

"Why are you here?" Darkpaw asked.

"The stolen kits' mother noticed them missing, and alerted the Clan. I led the patrol that followed the scent trail. They've already found the two kits, and are taking them back to ThunderClan territory. I followed the trail back to here, to see what was going on. I ordered the rest of the patrol to stay behind, and they wouldn't dare disobey me," the deputy said. It was silent for a moment. "I can see that you two are innocent. That's why I'll help you."

"Help how?" Wildpaw said suspiciously.

"I'll say I went to track down the kidnappers. I saw him-" she pointed at Marshfoot, "Chasing after the fleeing kits. I attacked him, and when he fought back, he tried to kill me. So I killed him. You two were silly apprentices who snuck after him when you saw him leave your camp."

"What about my injuries?" Darkpaw asked. "And Goldenkit and Adderkit will have a different story."

She thought for a moment. "I attacked you but then I realized you had nothing to do with the kidnapping. And don't worry, I'll make sure the kits' stories match mine."

They all thought this over. "We _were_ interested to see what are old denmate was doing," Wildpaw added to the story. "We knew he was doing something exciting, and followed him. We saw him leave camp, go into ThunderClan territory, then come back here with the kits."

"Excellent," purred the huge white she cat. "With all of us to back it up, they'll never question the story." She rubbed herself back and forth along Marshfoot's body, mixing their scents and smearing blood on herself. Then she did the same to Darkpaw, before using her own claws to cut a slash into her face. "I have to have some wounds," she shrugged.

Darkpaw and Wildpaw watched this with amazement. She was going so far as to injure herself!

The deputy finished her work. "I'll take the blame," she said. "Now run back to camp and alert your Clan." She turned to leave.

"Wait!" Darkpaw shouted. She looked back. "What's your name?"

"Coyoteblaze," she said. Then she padded off.

"Come on," said Wildpaw. "Help me was the blood off my face. Then we need to start yowling." Darkpaw nodded.

He'd snuck into enemy territories, helped two kits escape, been nearly killed, only to be saved by his twin, and then have the ThunderClan deputy offer to take the blame. It had been a strange night, but Darkpaw felt free. Marshfoot was dead, and would never torment him again. _Free at last. _

THE END

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**Whenever you see a 'the end' sign, it means that that particular tale is over. **

**I love this chapter. The scene with Wildpaw was just too cool. **


	17. Truth

**Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been busy with school, and writing my newest story (check it out, it's called **_**ForeverClan: The Search for the Stream). **_**But anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Also, if you've noticed, I changed the names of the chapters. I'm not sure if I like the new names, but I can always fix them later.**

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It was time. Ashflower knew it was unavoidable. The Clan would have to know.

Wind had determined it. She was pregnant with a kittypet's kits. But she felt no shame at haven broken the warrior code. For the longest time, the code had been her way of life. But its importance had faded over time. She would think back to when she was an apprentice, about how she wanted to be the best warrior ever. She followed the warrior code carefully, more carefully than Ripplepaw ever did. But now…It faded like the cool air of winter melts away to a brighter spring.

There were things so much more important than the silly code. Ashflower was... She was a mother. She had a mate whom she loved more than life. Their kits would be born in a moon's time. She could almost feel the warmth of the growing lives inside her belly. She loved them dearly. _My kits._

She knew it was time to tell the truth. Smokestar knew, Wind knew, Ripplefur knew. Her sister, fearing the reactions of the Clan, had begged Ashflower to keep the whole thing quiet. "Please," she begged. "They'll reject you and your kits. At least don't tell them who the father is."

"I won't lie to them," Ashflower said firmly. "And if Smokestar decides to throw me and the kits out, well… That would be fair. But it's okay. I know I'll have a safe place to stay with Jake and his Twolegs."

It was time. Time to tell the Clan, time for the leader to pass judgment. Smokestar sat on the highest part of the Highlog. The cats of RiverClan had gathered before her, whispering. None of them knew what this meeting was about.

Padding over, Ashflower climbed up and sat next to Smokestar, fear stirring in her belly. The warriors' eyes were fixed on her, confused as to why she was up there.

"Cats of RiverClan!" Smokestar yowled, her voice ringing with power. "Your Clanmate Ashflower has something she wishes to share with you." She bowed her head, willing Ashflower to proceed. Her eyes were emotionless.

"I," Ashflower started, squeaking. She took a breath and tried again. "Smokestar's right. I do have something to tell you. I'm pregnant."

Some of the cats smiled, but most continued to look confused. Smokestar was calling a meeting just because a she cat was pregnant?

"But the thing is," Ashflower went on. "The father of these kits is not in RiverClan. In fact, he's not in any Clan. He's a kittypet."

Gasps and yowls of shock rang around the camp. Ashflower is mates with a kittypet? And she's openly admitting it?!

"A kittypet?" Thistleclaw growled. "You're bearing the kits of some filthy kittypet?"

"His name is Jake," Ashflower whispered. "I love him, and I'm not ashamed of it."

"This is an outrage!" cried Mudslide.

"Unthinkable," whispered Watermint.

"Unnatural, more like it," growled Minnowleap.

"A kittypet? Why a _kittypet_?" said Speckleface.

"Leave her alone!" cried Ripplefur, her eyes blazing. The cats fell silent and turned to look at her. Ripplefur glanced up at Smokestar. "Smokestar, may I speak?"

Smokestar hesitated, then dipped her head and moved aside. "Of course."

Ripplefur leaped onto the Highlog and sat. "Cats of RiverClan!" she yowled, not the slightest bit nervous like Ashflower was. "My sister has done nothing wrong. You may look down on her, but what has she done? Wind!" Ripplefur turned her gaze to the medicine cat. "Is it not true that, in the Warrior Code, it says nothing about being the mate of kittypet?"

Wind thought for a moment. "Actually, it doesn't," she mewed. "Cats are not allowed to be mates with a cat from another Clan, but it says nothing about kittypets."

"What do you mean?" Rowanstrike asked. "Are you saying that any of us here could have kits with a kittypet? Or a rogue, or loner? There must be something against that."

"There isn't," Wind said firmly. "I've studied the Warrior Code, memorized it, as it is my duty to, and nowhere does it ban you from doing that. We need to guard our borders from them, but it doesn't mention becoming mates with them."

"Then Ashflower hasn't broken the Code at all," Ripplefur announced triumphantly.

"That's not right!" Cats began to mutter amongst themselves. It was common knowledge that you only could be mates with another in your Clan.

"Ripplefur has made a good point," Smokestar said. "However, Ashflower _did _lie about where she was going and sneak out of the territory. For that she must be punished."

"But Smokestar, look at what she's done for us! She's brought RiverClan four healthy kits!" Ripplefur protested.

"Silence, Ripplefur," ordered Smokestar. "You've given your argument." She was silent for a few moments. "Ashflower, it is time for you to move into the queens' den. So, for your punishment, you will no longer mentor Swiftpaw."

Smokestar was very clever. Being a queen, Ashflower wouldn't be able to mentor him anyway, but her 'punishment' would ease tension in the Clan. Smokestar smiled to herself.

"I understand, Smokestar," Ashflower.

"Swiftpaw, from this moment on, your mentor will be Darkleaf," Smokestar decided. Darkleaf nodded and touched noses with Swiftpaw.

Ashflower looked up again. "I would just like to say one last thing," she mewed. Staring out at the crowd, she said, "I'm sorry for the trouble this has caused you, but I'm not upset. I really do love him, and I'm very happy to be a mother. But please, don't hate me for this. If you must, at least don't think badly of my kits. They've done nothing. Thank you."

She leaped down from the Highlog, but turned around to look at Smokestar. "May I go inform the father?" she asked. Several cats hissed and shook their heads.

Ignoring them, Smokestar said, "You may, but I want Ripplefur to go with you. Be back before dusk."

--

As they walked slowly to the Twolegplace, Ashflower turned to Ripplefur. "You didn't have to do that," she mewed. "But…. Thank you."

Ripplefur smiled. "No problem."

--

Jake had been happy to see Asflower, but surprised to see she had brought a Clan cat. Ripplefur and Jake were eager to meet each other, but after introductions were made Ashflower stepped forward to explain the real reason they were here.

"Jake," she said. "I'm pregnant."

Jake's eyes went round. "You are?" he breathed.

"Yes," she said, pleased yet miserable at the same time. "I was planning on raising them in RiverClan, but of course they'll come visit you all the time-"

"Oh, good," Jake let out the breath he'd been holding. "For a moment I thought you were going to tell me the father was some other cat."

"No, Jake, of course not," Ashflower said, rubbing against him. "You and I are going to have four kits."

"Four," he purred. "And yes, RiverClan is the best place for them. Of course, you all can stay here if you ever needed to." His eyes flashed as something occurred to him. "But aren't you forbidden from having kits with someone outside your Clan?"

"I'll deal with the consequences," Ashlfower mewed. "Smokestar is very generous."

"As long as the five of you will be okay," Jake said, nuzzling his mate.

"Don't worry."

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**Yay! Ashy, I love you! You and Jake are such a sweet couple! **

**Sorry for writing to my own characters. It can't be helped. Also, I'm not sure if it matters to any of you, but I've stopped updating the pictures of the cats. If you feel the sudden urge to see the picture that a certain cat is based off of, I'll put the link on my profile. **

**Please review! Plushies if you do!**


	18. The Gathering, Part 1

**I apologize for the lameness of this chapter. I just felt that the issue of the kit-thief-now-murdered-Marshfoot would be something heavily debated by the Clans. But don't worry, the second part will be… interesting, shall we say.**

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Smokestar, Brightstar, Thornstar and Stonestar sat side by side on the Great Rock. The moon gleamed off their pelt and cast shadows over their faces. Dozens of cats milled around on the ground beneath them.

Stepping forward, Smokestar ordered, "Silence!" The cats quickly obeyed her, sitting and gazing up at her. She stepped back.

"Who would like to speak first?" Thornstar asked. When no one volunteered, he stepped forward and sat down. He began, his voice slightly strained. At six years old, he was the oldest of the leaders. In another year, he could've been an elder. "WindClan has good news. We've not seen the dogs for a moon since they attacked our patrol. The rabbits run well. But happiest of all, Echoflight's kits have come at last. They were born three weeks ago, and are very healthy. Their names are Cherrykit, Passionkit, and Sleetkit, two she-cats and a tom."

The WindClan cats cheered. Rabbitclaw smiled, not sure whether he should cheer or gape with astonishment. Him, a father!

"Otherwise, we have… nothing to report." Thornstar hesitated slightly, his eyes flicking down to a gray cat with black spots. WindClan's previously pleasant attitude quickly faded, and they shuffled uncomfortably.

Brightstar stepped forward, the moonlight making the golden flecks in her fur glint. She raised her head proudly, defensive as always. She hated how the cats whispered about her age and leadership. "ThunderClan won the recent battle against ShadowClan," she said, looking sideways at Stonestar. "But a few days after the battle, one of their warriors snuck into our camp at night and stole two kits."

There were loud gasps. ThunderClan hissed furiously, and RiverClan and WindClan pinned back their ears.

"You must be mistaken, Brightstar," said a WindClan she cat mewed. "No warrior would ever do something so low, so pathetic-"

"I am quite certain. When Creamberry discovered them missing, she alerted me and I sent a patrol out to find them. Coyoteblaze, will you tell them what happened?"

"Of course." The huge cat turned and faced the crowd. "I led the patrol after the kit-napper's scent straight into ShadowClan territory. While we were there, we spotted the two kits racing towards us, who had miraculously escaped the thief. The patrol tended to them and I went after the trespasser myself. It was the ShadowClan warrior Marshfoot."

There was another outbreak of snarling. Stonestar stepped forward. "Marshfoot was not under my or my deputy's, orders to steal the kits. He did it of his own free will. He was a disgrace to ShadowClan, and I hope his misdeeds do not affect your opinion of us."

When he finished, Coyoteblaze spoke again. "I caught him as he chased after the kits. When he saw me he attacked me, snarling about killing me. He seemed to be out of his mind. I fought back in self defense, and accidently killed him-"

"He's dead?!"

"You- you murdered-"

"I didn't murder any one!" she hissed. "I was defending myself, you would've done the same! He's just a filthy kit-snatcher anyways!"

Sheerstrike, who was Marshfoot's mentor, hissed softly at this.

"I saw a cat hiding in the bushes and attacked him, thinking he was another kit-thief, but soon realized he was just an apprentice sneaking around in the dark."

"This is an outrage!" hissed a RiverClan tom.

"You couldn't help from killing him?" questioned Wolfsong skeptically. "Or did you just want to get revenge for his stealing of kits?"

"It's not fair! Marshfoot shouldn't have died!" Cricketnose meowed. "He was murdered for no reason!" Everyone ignored him. Cricketnose was nearly as dumb as Marshfoot, though nowhere near as mean.

"And then she attacked my apprentice!" snarled Ravenfang, her single ear pinned back and her long tail lashing.

"I'm sorry for hurting Darkpaw, but not for killing the thief. For all you know, he was diseased in the brain." Coyoteblaze retorted.

"He was not! He was perfectly sane!"

"Quiet, everyone! We can debate at the end of the Gathering. Let Brightstar finish her announcements!" Stonestar yowled. Brightstar nodded at him.

She resumed her announcements, talking over the whispering cats. "Those two stolen kits are now apprentices, Goldenpaw and Adderpaw."

The two kits, now apprentices, stood up, beaming embarrassedly.

"Goldenpaw's mentor is Butterflyheart, and Adderpaw's mentor is Splashface."

The two nodded proudly. Butterflyheart couldn't have looked happier.

Brighstar was opening her mouth to speak when the cats in the back of the group turned their heads. At that, all the cats instantly feel silent. The bushes were rustling.

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**Yep, it was short. And pretty lame. But whatever. The next, much more exciting, chapter will be out soon. Happy Halloween, everyone!**


	19. The Gathering, Part 2

**Woah, sorry this took so long. It's so far the longest chapter in this story, so I hope you enjoy. **

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Out of the bushes stepped a big tom. He had long, fluffy fur that was a pale ginger color, the same shade as sand. His paws were white, and his eyes were glinting chips of amber. He smelled strangely, with a bit of ShadowClan mixed in. The tom stood bravely, staring at the Clan cats.

Following him was a beautiful she cat. She was very young, probably only a year old, with striking pointed features and an unusual dappled and white coat. All the toms' eyes were instantly on her, but she paid them no attention. She slunk after her companion, eyes flicking back and forth warily.

"Who are you?" Smokestar demanded to know. The warriors around the Great Rock were snarling angrily, about to pounce on the intruder.

The tom opened his mouth. "We are rogues," he said. "We live aways off the ShadowClan border. I am Thief, and this is my friend Flicker."

"And what are you doing here?" questioned Sharpthorn, the ShadowClan deputy.

"I have come here," Thief replied, "To tell you a story. A story about a she cat and a tom."

Rosepaw stood up like a squirrel, trying to get a better look at Thief. As if he could read her mind, he climbed into the low branches of a tree so that all could see him. Flicker crouched near the tree's base, ready to run if needed.

"This is a Clan meeting!" Thornstar said angrily. "Rogues shouldn't even come here!"

"StarClan might end the Gathering," said Moonstep worriedly, glancing at the sky.

"If StarClan was upset, they would've let us know. No, go on, Thief," Wind said, her solemn gray eyes fixed on him.

He nodded. "Nearly a year ago," he said loudly. "I ran into a patrol of ShadowClan cats. They chased me away, but there was a cat on the patrol whose face I clearly remembered that night, when I was alone in my den."

Rosepaw listened with excitement. This was an interesting story!

"I spent the next few days lurking around the ShadowClan border. That's when I saw the she cat again."

Glancing over at ShadowClan, Rosepaw noticed something strange. There was a tortoiseshell she cat sitting rigidly, eyes burning into Thief. Slowly, it began to dawn on her.

"We talked, and for the next several moons we would meet up outside of the territory. She had such beautiful tortoiseshell and white fur… That she cat is Juniperbreath."

"He's lying!" Juniperbreath screeched. She glared at him in a combination of anger and fear.

"I am _not _lying," said Thief. "I loved you, and I still do, just maybe not so much as I did. You are my only mate."

"He's lying!" Juniperbreath mewed, desperation in her voice. "I would never become mates with a rogue!" No one looked convinced. _I knew it, _Rosepaw thought.

"Why should we believe you?" growled Stonestar, but to Rosepaw's surprise he was looking at Thief. "You're just a rogue, trying to make my warrior look bad!"

"It's the truth; both Juniperbreath and I know that." Thief answered. "But that's not the end of the story."

Juniperbreath hissed, her eyes widening in shock.

"Very recently, I learned something that surprised me. Juniperbreath had an even greater secret, one she told no one, not even me. She was pregnant with my kit."

Gasps rang around the clearing. First a kit thief had been murdered, and now a she cat was having kits with a rogue! How crazy could one night get?

"You hid your secret well, June, and I might've never known were it not for a wandering loner." Turning to face the crowd, he said, "I don't know what happened, but Juniperbreath decided to abandon our kit. She left her in the care of an old kittypet."

Smokestar gaped. Her eyes flickered over to Rosepaw.

"Yes," Thief said. "I can see you've guessed. Rosepaw," he meowed, looking straight at her. _Me? _Rosepaw thought faintly. "I am your father."

Other cats would've gasped and said, "Oh, it can't be true! The drama!" or laughed and said, "You can't be serious!". But there were no gasps, protests, nothing. They were all waiting for Rosepaw's reaction. Even Flamingpaw was standing stock-still, eyes fixed on her in disbelief.

Rosepaw stood, staring Thief straight in the eyes. "And what proof do you have?" He nodded at Juniperbreath.

The she cat fidgeted nervously. She opened her mouth but didn't speak. Finally, she gave up and hung her head.

"Is this or this not our daughter?" Thief asked gently.

"She is," Juniperbreath answered, grief in her voice. Still, no one made any more noise than breathing. The ShadowClan she cat raised her head. "I'm sorry, kitten," she mewed, her green eyes fixed on Rosepaw's amber. "I wish I could've been a real mother to you."

_So it's true, _Rosepaw thought numbly. _I've never really cared about finding my true parents, but they found me. All this time, I never even knew my mother was a Clan away. _Her mind was reeling with questions. Did you know I was in RiverClan? How did you find me? And _why _did you leave me??

Burning with questions, but now was not the time for it. Brightstar stepped forward.

"Well, this certainly is interesting, but we have a Gathering to continue. Maybe afterwards you, Smokestar, Stonestar and Juniperbreath and Rosepaw would like to discuss this?"

"That would be excellent," said Smokestar, attempting to regain control.

The Gathering went on, but Rosepaw was in shock. It felt like she'd climbed to the top of tree, slipped and fallen, and landed on her back. None of the announcements registered in her head, except to for Smokestar saying that Ghostpaw and Beechpaw had become apprenticed to Hawktail and Thistleclaw, respectively. RiverClan was being overrun with apprentices. She also mentioned that Ashflower had joined the queens. Stonestar had little to say.

And then the Gathering was over, the cats scattering. Rowanstrike and Sharpthorn led their Clans back to camp, glancing over their shoulders at their leaders. Flamingpaw hesitated, wanting to stay, but Rosepaw shook her head.

Padding forward till she was at the base of the Great Rock, she stared at her two parents. The similarities between her and them were obvious. She had Thief's amber eyes and fluffy-but-not-long-haired fur. She had Juniperbreath's tortoiseshell and white coloring. _I've never really thought about it, but I suppose I have her night-hunting skills as well. _

Flicker was still lurking behind Thief, not as nervous as she used to be. She had sharp, proud eyes that said 'Don't mess with me, or you'll wake up with your insides on the outside'. _She's like a hawk; not as majestic as an eagle, more roguish but just as cunning, _Rosepaw thought. _I hate her._

"Thief," she said in a low voice. She had a strange accent. "I'm getting out of here. See you back at the burrow. Don't die." Without another word, the young she cat turned and was gone.

Looking back up, she saw that Juniperbreath was sitting in the shadows with her shoulders hunched, glaring at the ground. She didn't know much about her mother, but had her that she was haughty and proud.

Smokestar cleared her throat. "So," she mewed. "You both still claim that Rosepaw's your kit?"

"Yes." Rosepaw looked at Thief, the speaker. Her saw her staring and smiled pleasantly at her as if he'd known Rosepaw her whole life.

"Yeah," Juniperbreath muttered. "She's mine."

Rosepaw bristled slightly. They were talking about her like she wasn't even there! She hated that!

Stonestar's tail tip twitched. "Well, since the she cat is half ShadowClan, she rightfully belongs to us." Juniperbreath's jaw dropped and she looked ready to murder her leader.

"I do not _belong _to anyone!" Rosepaw hissed. "And I'm not just some 'she cat'! I have a name!"

Smokestar narrowed her eyes. "Rosepaw has been in RiverClan since she was seven moons old, and will stay here." _He probably only wants her in his Clan because he doesn't already have her. If her mother kept her, he would probably say she was a half Clan disgrace and throw her out, _she thought.

"Shouldn't Rosepaw have a choice?" asked Thief.

"Silence, rogue!" Stonestar commanded. Thief narrowed his eyes, his mild attitude melting away.

"I'm not going with you to ShadowClan," Rosepaw said firmly. Looking at her mother, she said, "You didn't want me, and I don't want you." Juniperbreath coughed, sounding close to tears.

"If that's decided, then I'll be leaving. Rosepaw, come back when you're done." Smokestar gave Rosepaw a reassuring brush of her tail before slipping away into the darkness.

Stonestar shrugged and said, "Be back in an hour, Juniperbreath." He left as well, leaving the three alone.

Thief broke the awkward silence. "So, Juniper, why didn't you ever tell me we had a kit?"

She looked up at him, eyes reflecting the stars. "I didn't tell anyone. Not even Breezeflight knew…How could I?" She was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, Rosepaw. I had no idea you were living with RiverClan. I thought you were still with the old kittypet."

"That just goes to show how you haven't looked for me in the last two moons, if not longer," Rosepaw said, her voice tinged with bitterness.

"I'm sorry," Juniperbreath whispered. This was her brave, proud mother? This miserable cat?

"I am too," Rosepaw said. "I'm sorry you didn't want me or love me."

"I did love you," Juniperbreath said with a touch of anger, more like her normal self. "I do. But I couldn't keep you. ShadowClan would never accept you for being half Clan."

"Stonestar wanted me to come! He said I should join!"

"He wasn't serious, he only wants what he can't have," Juniperbreath said dismissively. "Think of it my way. A young, silly warrior, who thinks it's fun to go sneaking off with a rogue, but you don't tell a soul that you are. Why? They'd look down upon you, not just for breaking the Code, but for being mates with a rogue. It's not just fear of punishment, it's _shame." _She paused for a moment. "And then you find out you're pregnant. A young, silly warrior, about to be a mother. And this, I told no one, not even Thief. I was terrified that someone would discover my secret, and for moons I pretended that nothing was wrong. Believe me, I was so scared of something happening to you or me that I'd panic whenever I jumped too far or was out too long. Since, you know, I had to carry on with my warrior duties."

All this just made Rosepaw feel even worse. "I don't want to hear this!" she cried. "You abandoned me and never came back! You don't even want me in your Clan, I saw you flinch when Stonestar suggested it!"

"Rosepaw, calm down, you-" Thief started.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Tears broke free and flooded down her face. "At least you told me," she said, looking at Thief. "At least you cared. But you," she said, turning to her mother. "You left me alone. I hate you!" With a sob, she turned and fled, racing wildly into the brush towards RiverClan.

"Rosepaw!" Thief called. Juniperbreath was silent, her own tears falling. Thief looked at her and sighed. Scooting closer, he pressed against her and wrapped his tail around her. She hesitated, but leaned her head on shoulder, and they stayed like that for a long time. Finally Juniperbreath moved away and said in a low voice, "You shouldn't have come." She turned and stalked away, her head lowered and steps heavy. Thief bowed his head and said nothing.

……………………………**..**

**That was tough. So much pain. But it's not over yet!**

**Remember to review! The more reviews I get, the faster I update. **


	20. Two New Warriors

**Here's another Leopard and Dawn chapter! I'm starting to like them much more than I used to. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!**

…………………………………**.**

"I, Brightstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble Code, and I commend them to you in their turn. Dawnpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Brightstar spoke seriously, looking down into Dawnpaw's hazel eyes.

"I do," Dawnpaw mewed calmly, staring into the sky.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Dawnpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Dawnstrike. StarClan honors your determination and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Brightstar finished the ceremony by resting her muzzle on Dawnstrike's head. The new warrior licked her leader's shoulder respectfully before wheeling around and leaping to the ground.

She moved to sit beside Snowpaw, who leaned over and whispered "Good job, Dawnstrike." Dawnstrike just smiled as Brightstar began talking again.

"Leopardpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"Yes. I do." He wriggled with impatience. Dawnstrike shot him a smirk, silently saying, _Ha ha, I became a warrior first. _He glared at her but quickly turned his attention back to Brightstar.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Leopardpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Leopardheart. StarClan honors your strength andcourage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Brightstar repeated the gesture, and Leopardheart sprang from the High Stone.

"Dawnstrike! Leopardheart! Dawnstrike! Leopardheart!" The Clan cheered. Dawnstrike lifted her head, basking in their praise. This was the proudest day of her life!

--

Leopardheart nodded humbly, shooting a look of venom at Dawnstrike. _Look at her, sucking it up! _He spat angrily. _I don't care. She will NOT ruin this day for me. _

He rose to his paws as the meeting dispersed, padding towards the fresh-kill pile for a well deserved meal. He chose a blackbird and tore into it, enjoying the sweet flavors and filling meat. Leopardheart could probably eat more than anyone in the Clan, if he wanted to.

He glanced up, chewing, to see Dawnstrike padding towards him, her silver tabby tail waving behind her. "Oh, no," he muttered, and began to inhale to bird as fast as he could.

"Hey, Leopardheart," she said casually. She snatched a squirrel from the pile and sat down next to him.

"What do you want, Dawnstrike?" he grumbled.

"What?" she mewed innocently. "Am I not allowed to eat dinner with you? We are, after all, the two newest warriors. We'll be spending a whole night together in a few hours."

"Don't remind me!" he groaned. "I don't why Brightstar decided to make our ceremonies on the same day. Maybe she likes to torment me as much as you do."

Dawnstrike pulled a hurt face. "Fine, if you don't want me to bother you, then I guess I'll go eat with Snowpaw." Picking up the remains of her squirrel, she began to walk dejectedly towards the apprentices' den.

Leopardheart groaned again. "Why me?" Then, louder, "Dawnstrike, don't be like that! I'm sorry, you can sit here!"

She glanced over her shoulder. "Really?"

"Yes, really." He sighed as she began trotting back happily. "As long as you don't get too annoying."

"Of course not, Leopardheart!" Dawnstrike promised. She gave a sly smile.

_She-fox, _Leopardheart thought.

--

"Of course, Leopardheart!" Dawnstrike purred. She smiled. Leopardheart could be a big jerk sometimes, but she loved to annoy him. Every time she talked to him, she acted like a silly kit, and had no idea why.

The rest of the day was easy. Now that she was a warrior, she had hours to be lazy and do what she wanted. After roaming the territory, she sat down with Snowpaw before the apprentice went to sleep.

"I guess you won't be sleeping with me any more, or doing anything with me," Snowpaw mewed sadly. "I'll be all alone in the apprentices' den."

"Alone! Are you kidding? The reason Brightstar made us warriors was so there'd be more room in the den," Dawnstrike said. "You have Goldenpaw, who's a good friend of yours, and your brother Brackenpaw, and Adderpaw. Honestly, that last one seems to think you're StarClan itself, the way he follows you around!" she teased.

Snowpaw smiled at her words, but rolled her eyes at the mention of Adderpaw. "He'll get over it soon. And I wouldn't be talking, if I were you!"

"What do you mean?" asked Dawnstrike.

"You and Leopardheart are always together. I know he acts like he hates you, but I'd bet a moon's catch of prey that he doesn't."

Dawnstrike licked her chest fur, shocked. Leopardheart ? Impossible! "That's silly," she said at last. "Leopardheart and I _do _hate each other. And we're always together because we're the same age."

Snowpaw grinned. "Just wait and see. You and Leopardheart are in _love!"_

Dawnstrike smacked her jokingly in the back of her head. "Bee-brain."

Snowpaw just pranced away, swishing her fluffy white tail behind her.

Tonight was going to be a long one. Dawnstrike had never gone a whole night without sleep. That fact that she had to sit there and not talk would make it all the more difficult.

_At least it's warm, _she thought. The stars shone brightly above, filling the forest with light. It was pleasant, really, even if it was boring. She peered at Leopardheart. He was staring at the sky as well, swishing his tail mildly. His marbled golden fur gleamed in the darkness, and strong muscles rippled under his pelt. _Maybe Snowpaw's right, _Dawnstrike thought. Then, _Yeah right._

……………………………………**.**

**Hmm…What is going on? Do Dawnstrike and Leopardheart still hate each other? Or is Snowpaw right? Ha ha, only I know!**

**Okay, I forgot to mention some important things. This is in the future, several generations past the Warriors books. You can see some of their descendants in these Clans. Smokestar is a descendant of Mistyfoot, Juniperbreath is a descendant of Tawnypelt (as are Wildpaw and Darkpaw), Rabbitclaw and Ambergaze are descendants of Crowfeather, and Fireflower is a descendant of Lionblaze. Just an interesting little something for you there.**

**Now you can review. Oh, and if anyone has an idea for something to happen to ShadowClan, I'm all ears. **


	21. One Sad Night

**This chapter came out way more dramatic than I'd planned; I still think it's good. **

**Sorry it took me so long to update! I wanted to put another ShadowClan chapter between this one and the last one, but I just couldn't think of something. I've already written the next few chapters, so updates will be quicker. Also, I finished my story, **_**Cursed, **_**and I suggest you all read it. It's only seventeen chapters.**

**Happy New Year, everyone! Remember to review!**

…………………………………………

Meadowpaw sat outside the queens' den, her tail curled around her paws. Her belly was swollen with the kits she would have; Vineleg predicted that there would be two.

The Clan hadn't taken the news well. Never in living memory had an apprentice become a queen before their warrior ceremony. They constantly whispered about her, shooting her strange looks. Even Willowclaw, her own father, shook his head in disapproval. The only ones who treated her the same were Cloverpaw and Blackspots.

_Blackspots, _she thought. Telling him about the kits had sure been fun. Not. He'd freaked out, hyperventilating in panic and cheering with joy. Only Cloverpaw tackling him had prevented him from running around camp yowling 'I'm a father! I'm a father!' Echoflight had been kind as well, promising to help with the kits when they were born.

The saddest part was Thornstar had refused to make her a warrior. He was delaying it even though she was old enough, and Meadowpaw wasn't sure if he'd ever let her. When she found out her sister wasn't becoming a warrior, Cloverpaw had refused her ceremony and remained an apprentice. 'We'll sit vigil together, I promise you that,' she said.

--

Echoflight burst into the medicine den. "Vineleg, Hollowpaw!" The two looked up from where they were sorting herbs. "It's Meadowpaw! She's having her kits!"

Vineleg nodded briskly and starting barking out orders while Hollowpaw rushed to scoop up various herbs. Echoflight shifted anxiously until they were ready. Then she darted ahead to help Meadowpaw.

The sandy she cat was stretched out in the queens' den, panting with strain. Blackspots stood over her, nervousness in his blue eyes. "Please, help her," he begged when he saw the medicine cats.

"That's my job," muttered Vineleg. Hollowpaw just stared at his friend with worried eyes. "You, out!"

"What?" Blackspots said, confused.

"I said get out. I find it less stressful if the fathers are away while the kits are being born, and your mate doesn't need a crowd watching her. Out!" Vineleg ordered, nudging a protesting Blackspots out the den.

Either way, the den was soon crowded. Meadowpaw, Cloverpaw, Vineleg, Hollowpaw and Echoflight were all inside the den, while Blackspots and Willowclaw waited outside. Echoflight soon shuffled her kits and herself outside to make more room. While it was good to have an experienced queen helping, she really wasn't needed.

"Its okay, Meadowpaw, you're doing great," Hollowpaw smiled, running his fluffy tail down her flank.

"Thanks, Hollowpaw," Meadowpaw gasped.

For the next hour Meadowpaw struggled, sweating and panting. Cloverpaw and Hollowpaw gave encouraging words, while Vineleg kept his sharp eyes on her. He had Blackspots run and fetch water every now and then.

It was late afternoon when things started to pick up the pace. Meadowpaw made a choked noise and shuddered. Blood pooling on the ground, a little dappled she kit was born. Vineleg immediately scooped her up and began to lick her fur the wrong way. Hollopaw moved to help, but the old tabby said, "No, help the mother." The dust-colored apprentice nodded and gave Meadowpaw more herbs.

Vineleg made an unhappy sound. "She's not responding," he said quietly. He licked the kit roughly, shaking her. Meodawpaw twisted around frantically.

"Where is my kitten? Let me see her!"

Vineleg sat back and sighed. "It's no use. This one was stillborn." Meadowpaw, distracted by the pain in her belly, only whimpered. Hollowpaw went outside quietly to break the news to Blackspots. Moments later, both he and Meadowpaw's father burst into the den, and Vineleg didn't try to stop them.

Blood gushed from the queen in amazing amounts, staining the ground red. Vineleg couldn't help it; he was very worried. He finally started giving her marigold petals to slow the bleeding, but they did nothing.

Meadowpaw cried out in pain, tears running down her face. Blackspots was panicking, not knowing what to do. Cloverpaw cried like her sister, licking her face. Vineleg worked furiously, trying to stop the blood.

A half hour after the first kit, another was born. After being vigorously licked by Hollowpaw, the tom opened his little pink mouth and wailed loudly. Everyone beamed, Meadowpaw the most. Blackspots knelt down and whispered in her ear, "D'ya hear him? We're parents!"

Meadowpaw's eyes slowly opened, and she demanded, "Vineleg, give him to me _now." _

This time, Vineleg agreed and pushed the crying kit at her. A fresh wave of tears dripped down her face. "He's… a miracle." She licked him, purring scratchily.

"He is," Blackspots mewed, and for a brief moment, it was perfect. Then things started to go wrong.

Meadowpaw gasped, her back arching. She dug her claws into the ground, giving a strangled shriek. Vineleg said to Hollowpaw, "Get the Narcissus petals, quickly, and the Windflower shoots."

Hollowpaw looked startled. "_Windflower? _Are you sure? They're-"

"I know they're strong, but she's losing too much blood! Get them now!" Vineleg snapped.

Willowclaw stared at Vineleg. "What is wrong with her?" he asked, unnervingly calm.

"Willowclaw," Vineleg sighed. "She's so young. Cats aren't meant to bear kits at this age. I knew this would be a difficult birth, but… I don't think she has a good chance."

The cats in the den stared at him for one long moment as they absorbed his words.

"You mean she's dying?" Blackspots asked in a low voice.

"Yes, she's dying. Hollowpaw is bringing some of the strongest herbs known to cats, herbs so strong they're dangerous. Windflower is only used when it's a queen's last chance."

Blackspots laid down by Meadowpaw, silent tears running down his face. Cloverpaw buried her face in Meadowpaw's fur and sobbed like her heart had been ripped out. "No, Meadowpaw! Not you too! Not like Cloudfur!"

Willowclaw looked stricken. He was at a loss for words. He just laid down slowly, like Blackspots, and licked Meadowpaw's face. Hollowpaw rushed in and flung the herbs at Vineleg before turning away angrily and yelling to Meadowpaw. "Don't die, Meadowpaw! There are too many cats who need you alive!" He started to cry.

Vineleg gave her the herbs, and Meadowpaw opened her eyes. She spoke quietly, the herbs numbing the pain. "It's too late, everyone. Cloudfur is waiting for me. I can already see her. But I want to say goodbye."

"You're not leaving me, Meadowpaw," Blackspots whispered, heartbroken. "Our kit-"

"I gave my life for our kit," Meadowpaw cut him off. "And I'm happy to do so." She turned her green eyes to Vineleg. "Thank you for trying your best. You two, Hollowpaw. You'll be a great medicine cat." She paused, taking a breath. "Willowclaw, you were the greatest father anyone could have. Cloverpaw, don't cry, I'll always be with you. And Blackspots, you made my life worth living. Promise me you'll care for the kit. Promise me."

"I promise," he whispered.

"I promise too," Cloverpaw sobbed. "I won't break this one."

"I love you all, thank you for everything," Meadowpaw smiled, then winced. "I… I'm… not afraid…."

Meadowpaw didn't speak again. Vineleg sat back, knowing he could do nothing more. Willowclaw bowed his head in grief, closing his daughter's eyes. Blackspots pulled the kit to his side.

Moments later, Cloverpaw gasped. Rising from Meadowpaw's body was a flickering sandy shape. Meadowpaw's spirit trotted out the den, to where a pale white one stood. Cloudfur twined her tail with her daughter's and the two she cats padded upwards toward the stars above.

THE END

……………………………

**Sorry, I didn't mean to make that quite so dramatic. I just had to let Meadowpaw say her goodbyes. *sniff* It was sad. **

**Poor Meadowpaw. She died happy, I guess. Her little tom kit lives on.**

**Once again, I apologize for the flood of sad, dramatic goodbyes. Please review!**


	22. Where a Leaf Takes You

**Ohmygoodness.**

**I just wrote FanFiction. Again. I didn't think this day would come.**

**I'm just surprised as you are. A while back I decided to check out my old account, see how things were going and BAM! I'm at it again. But please, don't expect it to last. I may unexpectedly vanish for another two years (has it been two years? I don't know). **

**Or I just might never return.**

**I updated my profile, if anyone is interested. The rest of the story of my disappearance is there. **

**But about this chapter, I will say this: It's long. Yep. Also, it's sooooo much better than my previous chapters in terms of quality. I would delete all that and rewrite it if I had the time or the inclination, but I won't. So if I do continue to update, you can expect better work.**

**Other than that, I have little to say. You'll notice I now say "summer" and "autumn" instead of greenleaf and leaf-fall, as it's done in the books. I have no problem with anyone who does it the Erin Hunter way, but I'm just not bothering with that silliness anymore. Also, some of the factual info may have changed from previous chapters (I may alter my characters a teensy-weensy bit).**

**So that's that. Read. Review. Enjoy.**

…**..**

Buttery sunshine dappled the ground in patches, the leaves above casting broken shadows here and there. The fever of summer had cracked and dipped down into what was quickly becoming a cool, pleasant autumn. Tinypaw arched her back in delight, stretching all the muscles. "I must remember to thank Mapleheart later," she mewed to her two charges, RiverClan's newest apprentices. "I'm kind of surprised she and the others agreed to let us go out on our own."

Tinypaw's mentor had been atypically lenient that afternoon. Not only was she allowing Tinypaw, one of the younger apprentices, to explore RiverClan territory on her own, she had suggested Tinypaw take Beechpaw and Ghostpaw with her. Tinypaw assured her she would watch out for them. They were barely more than kits. Tinypaw felt like a warrior around them, despite the fact that Beechpaw was already bigger than her. As her name implied, she was rather small for her age.

"Me too," said Ghostpaw. "Mapleheart's so nice."

Tinypaw fell into stride beside him. "When she wants to be," she yawned. "She can be pretty strict too."

On the path ahead, Beechpaw was chasing after a moth. He dove at it with both paws outstretched and tried to swat it out of the air. The moth fluttered right past his nose, unharmed. He spun around and swiped at it again.

"Beechpaw!" Tinypaw called. "How will you ever learn to hunt or fish if you have no patience?"

He waved her words aside with his tail. "Fish are fast and slippery. I'd think you gotta be fast to catch them!" He looked around for the moth but it had disappeared.

Tinypaw shook her head. "There's more to it than that," she said, but she knew he wasn't listening. Ghostpaw said nothing. His gray eyes gazed into the distance, out past the river.

A breeze ruffled the cats' fur and kicked up a few fallen leaves – the first of the season. Tinypaw pounced on one that blew her way. Ghostpaw saw her and did the same. Soon all three were chasing the runaway leaves.

Tinypaw giggled at their game. She had never seen autumn before, but Mapleheart said it was beautiful. She told Tinypaw how all the leaves turned red and gold so that trees appeared to be on fire, and how the wind swept all the clouds from the sky so for that is was nothing but endless blue. Tinypaw's heart longed for such a time.

"Just wait till all of these are blown down," she said to her friends, gesturing at the thousands of leaves above them. "It will be so much fun!"

"I bet!" shouted Beechpaw, still running in random, loopy circles. He darted through the rivergrass and over the rocks, laughing and whooping the whole time. Ghostpaw grinned and sprinted after him. They were so happy, so free.

_This has to be their first time out of camp without their mentors, _Tinypaw realized.

Now the pair was headed due north, towards the Great Rock, the meeting place of the Clans. It was no-cat's-land up there, and they weren't far from the border.

"Ghostpaw! Beechpaw! Come back!" Tinypaw yowled in vain. They were too far to hear her, and the rushing river was just slightly too loud. Tinypaw had no choice but to give chase.

"You two! Stop!" she continued to shout. _Oh no, oh no, Mapleheart's gonna kill me, _Tinypaw thought.

Suddenly she lost her footing and gasped. The sharp downward slope of the earth sent her tumbling. She rolled once, twice, before fetching up against a shrub.

Tinypaw rose shakily to her paws. She was at the Great Rock.

"Tinypaw, look!" Ghostpaw called.

"Ghostpaw?" Tinypaw picked her way out of the shrub. The gray-furred apprentice stood a bit aways from her, staring at the Rock in awe. "Ghostpaw, where's Beechpaw? I told you not to leave RiverClan territory!"

"I'm right here, Tinypaw!" The sandy-furred tom bounded over. "That was fun! Isn't this place cool?"

"Yes it is," Tinypaw said, distracted. "But we need to leave. . . " She trailed off, craning her head back to see the Great Rock in its entirety. "It's massive," she breathed.

"You've never seen it before?" asked Beechpaw.

Tinypaw shook her head. "No. I've never gone to a Clan meeting."

"Just think," said Ghostpaw. "Every leader, ever, has sat up there. They've been here, walked through this hollow. I can feel them."

Tinypaw said nothing. Sometimes Ghostpaw said strange things, but at that moment she too felt the ancient energy of the Rock pulsing through her. She wondered if StarClan was watching them right now.

"Gotcha!"

Beechpaw screeched.

Tinypaw screamed.

Ghostpaw's eyes widened.

"I got him, Heatkit, I got him!" a reedy little voice yowled triumphantly. Tinypaw whirled around.

A tan she-kit, her fur light like Beechpaw's but duller and striped, clung to Beechpaw's back, her tail thrashing wildly. Beechpaw hooked a paw around her and threw her off.

"ShadowClanner!" he hissed, backpedaling madly. His fur was puffed up, making him look twice as big as normal. "Get away from me!"

"What are you doing here, kit?" Tinypaw demanded, hoping her voice didn't quaver. The kit had nearly scared her to death.

"What are _you_ doing here?" the kit taunted.

"You better tell us before we shake it out of you!" Beechpaw threatened. Tinypaw rolled her eyes.

The kit gasped. "Heatkit, Shiverkit, help me!" She turned and fled back the way she came.

"Oh no you don't!" shouted Beechpaw, but Tinypaw stopped him.

"She's just a kit," Tinypaw said.

"But she's from ShadowClan!" Beechpaw protested.

"Look!" Ghostpaw said. Tinypaw and Beechpaw glanced up.

Emerging from the bushes was the same tan kit, only this time she had two more kits with her. The first was a black tom with green eyes, and the second was a mahogany and white tabby she-kit. The three raced to the bottom of the hill and faced the RiverClanners.

"You shouldn't be here, kits," Tinypaw mewed gravely. She glared at Beechpaw sternly. "Neither should we."

"Don't tell me what to do!" the sassy she-kit said.

Ghostpaw stepped forward, looking at the second she-kit in surprise. "I know you," he mewed quietly. She tipped her head to the side like a curious bird. She stepped towards him.

"Ghostpaw," she said, and smiled. Then she turned her attention to Tinypaw and Beechpaw. "My name's Shiverkit, and this is my sister Lizardkit, and my brother Heatkit. We were just exploring."

"Nice to meet you," Ghostpaw said.

"Don't talk to them! They're ShadowClan!" Beechpaw growled. "They're our enemies! Right, Tinypaw?"

Ghostpaw and Shiverkit looked to Tinypaw. "Why?" they asked in unison.

All the cats were staring at her. As the oldest, she was expected to give an answer. "Well. . ." she sputtered. "Because Smokestar says so. All the leaders do. It's always been that way."

But they remained unconvinced.


End file.
